Chess annotation symbols

Okay kiddo, so you know how when we write stuff down, we use letters and numbers and symbols to help us remember what we mean? Well, when grown-ups play a game called chess, they like to write down what moves they make so they can remember what happened and look back on it later.

To write down chess moves, they use special symbols called annotation symbols. Let's go through them one by one, okay?

- P for pawn: This symbol means that a player moved one of their pawns forward one space.

- N for knight: This symbol means that a player moved one of their knights to a new spot on the board.

- B for bishop: This symbol means that a player moved one of their bishops to a new spot on the board.

- R for rook: This symbol means that a player moved one of their rooks to a new spot on the board.

- Q for queen: This symbol means that a player moved their queen to a new spot on the board.

- K for king: This symbol means that a player moved their king to a new spot on the board.

Now, sometimes things get a little more complicated, so there are some extra symbols to help.

- x: This symbol means that a piece has "captured" another piece - that is, it has moved to the same spot where an enemy piece was sitting and taken it off the board.

- +: This symbol means "check" - that is, a player's move has put the opposing king in danger.

- ++: This symbol means "checkmate" - that is, a player has put the opposing king in a position where it cannot escape capture.

And that's it, kiddo! Those are the most common annotation symbols in chess. With a little practice, you'll be writing down your own moves in no time!