Next to a disciplined study of tactical patterns, the best way to improve your proficiency at the game of chess is to replay the games of stronger players. By doing so, we not only get a feel for the tactical prowess that these visionaries exhibited, but also, the strategic planning and a bit of psychology that goes into a game of chess. At the same time, we see all of the elements of the game working together to create a singular work of art.

To facilitate the study of these masterpieces, one needs to be familiar with the algebraic notation system in which these games of the past have been recorded. Let us take an example game from 500 years ago, when the game of chess had just undergone its transformation into the modern version we know today.

Leonardo – Lopez, Madrid 1575

The first thing to notice is the letters which designate the files of the chess board. This “alpha” coordinate will be the first part of our notation. The numbers, which indicate the ranks, will comprise the second part. Together, these two values give us the destination square for the pawn or piece. In the previous diagram, we can see that the white pawn has moved to the square e4, and the black pawn to …e5. In fact, this is how we notate pawn moves, with the destination square only. It is the non-pawn pieces which receive a letter to indicate which piece moves to a given square. The designations are as follows:

• K=king
• Q=queen
• B=bishop
• N=knight
• R=rook

There are other nuances which I will explain as we get further into analyzing the games of the masters. For now, let’s get back to the game and the position after the moves:

1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6

This will take some getting used to, but the algebraic system for chess notation is really quite straight-forward and logical. Let’s try to expand our visualization by including two moves for each side in the next diagram. Try to work out the white and black moves on your own and keep in mind the order isn’t particularly important at this point.

You can see clearly that white has made two moves, a bishop move and a pawn move, while the player with the black pieces has moved his bishop and his queen. You know the pieces that moved, now figure out the destination squares?

The answer is 3. Bc4 Bc5 and 4. c3 Qc7.

Congratulations if you got that.

Let’s try one more just to make the ideas a little clearer. This position again includes two further moves from the 1575 game continuation.

Can you see the pieces and pawns that have moved? What are their destination squares?

The answer is 5. b4 Bb6 and 6. a4 a6.

I am going to stop the game here with the final note that there are more intricacies of the algebraic system of chess notation that I will cover in future lectures. My next chess related article will begin to analyze a more modern game between chess masters and continue with the themes of opening strategy and middle-game planning.