Annotated Chess Guide: Part of the Beginner's Chess Guide (Section 1)
Annotated Chess Guide
[The Algebraic System]
Yep, Algebra - some would say mathematical hoodoo, but this is the bit before school gets hold of you and makes it complicated ...
Simply, it's just one set of letters (a-h) and one set of numbers (1-8) that combine to give a unique location for each of the 64 squares on the board ...
It helps more experienced players replay historic games, for the benefit of improving their own game, and it makes it possible to follow games in print - such as in Newspapers and Magazines.
Right, too much text already: quick - a graphic! - here's what the Algebraic Annotated Chess system looks like, if you're playing as White:
You'll notice that 1 and a are pointing to the bottom-left square ...
This is ALWAYS the format for the Algebraic Annotated chess system.
Here, take a look at how it would look, if you were playing as Black, instead:
Takes a bit of eye-to-brain re-orientation, at first, doesn't it?!
From here on, to keep things simple, we'll stick with examples based on you playing as White.
Moving On: Naming Squares (Page 4).
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