The PGN Format

PGN (Portable Game Notation) is the standard plain-text format for storing chess games. It pairs a set of descriptive tags with the moves in algebraic notation, so any program can read it.

Anatomy of a PGN

A PGN file has two parts: a tag pair section in square brackets, then the move text. For example:

[Event "Casual Game"]
[Site "ChessBhumi"]
[Date "2024.01.01"]
[White "Alice"]
[Black "Bob"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 1-0

The Seven Tag Roster

Seven tags are required by the standard, in order: Event, Site, Date, Round, White, Black, Result. Extra tags like WhiteElo or TimeControl are optional.

Comments, variations and NAGs

Comments go in braces {like this}; alternative lines go in parentheses (1... c5); and Numeric Annotation Glyphs such as $1 (good move) or $4 (blunder) add evaluations. Our PGN viewer ignores these gracefully while replaying.

Results

The game ends with the result token: 1-0 (White wins), 0-1 (Black wins), 1/2-1/2 (draw), or * (unfinished).

Export your games

You can download your own games as PGN from your game history and re-open them in any chess program.