DESCRIPTIVE NOTATION

A form of notation sometimes called Anglo-Iberian or Anglo-American. A system used in the English-speaking chess world until the 1980s. The 8 files were called QR (for queen’s rook), QN, QB, Q, K, KB, KN and KR. The rows of ranks were numbered 1 to 8, but from each side of the board. Thus every square had two different names. For example the square f3 in algebraic was, in descriptive, called KB3 from White’s point of view and KB6 from Black’s point of view. A Spanish descriptive notation also exists. So the Ruy Lopez will be: 1.P-K4 P-K4, 2.N-KB3 N-QB3, 3.B-QN5 P-QR3 4.BQR4