Chess PGN

Are you a fan of playing chess online? If you are, how often do you record the moves of your games? Very likely the answer is never because ChessKid uses Portable Game Notation (PGN), a tool that makes the task of recording moves very easy, and automatically records your games for you. Here is what you need to know about PGN and how to use it:

ChessKids studying chess tactics
ChessKid uses PGN to automatically record your games.

What Is Portable Game Notation?

PGN is a standard plain-text format for recording the sequence of moves in a game. It can also include information such as annotations related to a move. Although PGN usually records an entire game and the game’s result, it can also record only a fraction of a game. It can also store other useful information, such as the names of the players and their ratings, the location of where the game was played, and the time control. When the format is saved, its file extension is .pgn.

Why Is PGN Important?

PGN is important because chess players can easily read the format. In addition, it is easily processable by computers and supported by most chess software. It is like a chess annotation sheet (or score sheet) that computers can read. Because PGN has been almost universally used since it was first developed around 1993, it is also very popular. Here is an example of one of the shortest games by World Champion Magnus Carlsen in PGN format; it lasted just 17 moves: 

Example of Portable Game Notation
The PGN of a game stores a lot of information about it.

Reading PGN

The above illustration shows that PGN consists of two sections. The first section consists of game pairs that enclose information within a pair of brackets. In this section, game details such as date, round, and player names and ratings are recorded.

The second section provides the sequence of moves, any comments, and the game result. The example above illustrates that moves are recorded in the algebraic notation format, the accepted standard of chess notation. Pieces other than pawns are identified by a capital letter. Each square on the chessboard is identified by a lowercase letter and a number from White’s point of view. For a full explanation, see the chess term “Chess Notation."

Chess bishop reviewing a game
Reviewing a game you have played is easy with PGN.

How To Use PGN On ChessKid

Do you know that you can find the PGN of games that you have played on ChessKid? ChessKid makes it very easy to use PGN to export and import games.

To export a game, hover your cursor over the Learn option in the left column on the homepage of ChessKid until the menu pops up to the right that includes Analyze Games. When you select Analyze Games, your archive of games on ChessKid opens with two categories: fast and slow. Among the tabs on the top row of each table of games is Analyze. When you click on the icon for analysis associated with a game, the Analysis Board opens.

List of games with the Analyze option identified
Clicking on the Analyze icon for a game opens its PGN.

In the lower right-hand corner of the Analysis Board is a menu icon. Click on the icon and then choose PGN as the option. The PGN of that game is copied to your clipboard. You are now ready to use or save the PGN. Save in plain-text format and remember to use the extension .pgn.

For importing a game into the Analysis Board of ChessKid, begin with steps very similar to those above for exporting. First, hover your cursor over the Learn option in the left column on the homepage of ChessKid until the menu pops up to the right. On this menu, select Analysis Board (instead of Analyze Games). (However, if you select Analyze Games, then just select Analysis Board on the next page that opens.)

Option to load PGN in Analysis Board
The option to load PGN is in the Analysis Board.

Load PGN is one of the options that is available in the Analysis Board. After you select this option, simply paste the PGN of the game that you want to analyze from your clipboard into the specified field. Then select Load, an option that becomes available after you have pasted the PGN. You are now ready to analyze the game.

Difference Between PGN And FEN

In addition to PGN, another notation system that is also used is Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN). This system differs from PGN in that FEN represents only a single position instead of the moves that lead to it. Unlike PGN, FEN makes it easy to translate any chess position into a single line of text. For this reason, FEN is useful for reconstructing positions using computers and allows players to share them and restart games from any point they want.

ChessKid playing a game on a laptop
Playing online with ChessKid means that a PGN of each game is saved for you.

Introducing PGNs for Tournament Prep

Are you ready to take your chess skills to the next level? Our coaching "PGNs for Tournament Prep" are here to help you master the game. With them you can explore:

Each PGN is packed with helpful teaching annotations, making it the perfect resource for young chess enthusiasts looking to up their game. Click the image below to access the PDF for more information on how to use this valuable resource.

a page from the PDF on chess pgns resource for tournament preparation for kidsFor the full resource, check out the PDF version.

Wrapping Up

You now know what PGN is and why it is important. You also know how to import games to the Analysis Board of ChessKid so that you can learn from them and can also export your games to share with a coach and your friends.

 

Chess PGN Video