Notation

The notation is the method used to record games, so that they can later be re-played and analysed. The notation of most chess variant games is based upon standard chess notation. The method consists in using letters and numbers to represent both the pieces and the cells, and try to record games with as few characters as possible.

In first place, uppercase letters are used to represent the pieces. Pieces are named under the letter their name begins with, except the pawn, who is represented by the absence of letter. So we have:
B stands for Bishop.
R stands for Rook.
H stands for Horse.
D stands for Diplomat.
K stands for King.

On the other hand, cells are represented by lowercase letters and numbers. Cells are organised into a coordinate grid, which is formed by radii and circular crowns. Each radius is named by a letter; each crown, by a number. Cells' names are made by putting together the letter of the radius with the number of the crown they belong to. The only exception is the centre, which is called simply with the number 4, since it is the only cell in the 4th crown and belongs to none of the radii.

The initial set of pieces would be:
White:
   King on d3
   Rook on e3
   Diplomat on f3
   Bishop on c3
   Horse on b3
   Pawns on b2, c2, d2, e2 and f2.
Black:
   King on k3
   Rook on l3
   Diplomat on m3
   Bishop on j3
   Horse on i3
   Pawns on i2, j2, k2, l2 and m2.

To record a movement, the name of the piece is written in first place, then together comes the name of cell it moves to. For example if a bishop moves to the c2 cell, that would be represented Bc2.

To write down a whole game, a list of lines is used. Each line is formed by:
-The number of the round
-The white player's movement
-The black player's movement

For example:
1. d3,   k3
2. g2, Dh2
3. ...etc.

When two or more pieces of the same type (normally pawns) can move to the same cell, in notation you must specify which one has actually moved. This is achieved by writing the cell where the piece is, followed by a hyphen(-) and then the destination cell. If you only need the letter to distinguish the piece moved, you do not have to write down the number. For example: if the white player has a pawn on d3 and another one on e2, and the latter is moved to e3, the movement would be written down as e-e3, whereas if it was the pawn on d3 who is moved, then it would be written d-e3.

Some special movements require other symbols to be recorded. These are capture, suborn, promotion and check.

Capture is represented by the multiplying symbol (x) before the destination square. If the capturing piece is a pawn, it is advisable to write down at least the letter of the cell is moves from (even if it is the only piece that can capture the desired enemy piece), in order to avoid the x to be the first character of the movement's notation. Examples: Bxd2, exd2, Hx4, 4xk3 (the existence of the cell 4, whose name is only a number, may make some movements seem weird to players who are accustomed to standard chess notation).

Suborn is represented by the destination cell, followed by the equal symbol (=) and then the name of the colour the suborned piece changes to, for example: b3=black (There is no need of writing the letter D for the diplomat). In order to shorten notation, the words black and white can be replaced by their initial letters b and w, thus: b3=b.

Promotion is represented by the destination cell, the equal symbol and the name of the piece the pawn promotes to, for example: m1=Rook. Again, the names of the pieces can be shortened into their symbols, thus: m1=R.

Finally, any movement after which the enemy king is in check is indicated by adding the plus symbol (+) at the end: Rj1+. If the check is a checkmate, it is indicated by two plus symbols at the end: Rj1++.

If you want to see an example of all this, you can have a look at a Sample Game with some diagrams and explanations, too.

 

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