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SAN
SAN (Standard Algebraic Notation) is a widely used system for recording chess moves. It is an algebraic system that uses letters and numbers to represent the different pieces and their movements on the chessboard.
Each move in SAN consists of two parts: the piece being moved, and the destination square. The piece is indicated by a single letter, and the destination square is indicated by a two-letter code that represents the file and rank of the square.
The letters used to represent the different pieces are:
- K: King
- Q: Queen
- R: Rook
- B: Bishop
- N: Knight ("N" is used instead of "K" to avoid confusion with the King)
The destination square is indicated by a two-letter code that represents the file and rank of the square. The files are represented by the letters a-h, and the ranks are represented by the numbers 1-8. The code is written in lowercase letters.
For example, the square in the bottom left corner of the board is a1, while the square in the top right corner is h8. In the CLI, we have labelled the squares for you.
Pawns are represented by the letter of the file they are moving from, followed by the destination square. For example, if a pawn on e2 moves to e4, the move is written as "e4".
Captures are indicated by the piece being moved, followed by "x", and then the destination square. For example, if a knight on c3 captures a pawn on d5, the move is written as "Nxc5".
Castling is indicated by the abbreviation "O-O" (short castle) or "O-O-O" (long castle). For example, if white castles kingside, the move is written as "O-O".
When a pawn reaches the eighth rank, it can be promoted to a different piece, usually a queen. The move is indicated by the destination square of the promoted pawn, followed by "=" and the letter abbreviation of the piece being promoted to. For example, if a white pawn on f7 is promoted to a queen on f8, the move is written as "f8=Q".
In some cases, a move could apply to multiple pieces of the same type on the same rank or file. In these situations, you can disambiguate the move by including the file or rank of the starting square of the piece being moved.
For example, if there are two rooks on the same rank and the rook on the a- file is the one that should be moved, the move would be written as "Rae1". Similarly, if there are two knights and one is on b1 and the other is on g1, and the knight on g1 is the one that should be moved to f3, the move would be written as "Ngf3".