Rules.—If a player touch one of his men he must move it, unless he says j’adoube (I adjust), or words of a similar meaning, to the effect that he was only setting it straight on its square. If he cannot legally move a touched piece, he must move his king, if he can, but may not castle; if not, there is no penalty. He must say j’adoube before touching his piece. If a player touch an opponent’s piece, he must take it, if he can: if not, move his king. If he can do neither, no penalty. A move is completed and cannot be taken back, as soon as a player, having moved a piece, has taken his hand off it. If a player is called upon to mate under the fifty-move rule, “fifty moves” means fifty moves and the forty-nine replies to them. A pawn that reaches an eighth square must be exchanged for some other piece, the move not being complete until this is done; a second king cannot be selected.
Modes of Notation.—The English and German methods of describing the moves made in a game are different. According to the English method each player counts from his own side of the board, and the moves are denoted by the names of the files and the numbers of the squares. Thus when a player for his first move advances the king’s pawn two squares, it is described as follows:—“1. P-K4.” The following moves, with the aid of diagram 2, will enable the reader to understand the principles of the British notation. The symbol x is used to express “takes”; a dash—to express “to.”
| White. | Black. |
| 1. P-K4 | 1. P-K4 |
| 2. KKt-KB3 (i.e. King’s Knight to the third square of the King’s Bishop’s file) | 2. QKt-QB3 (i.e. Queen’s Knight to the third square of the Queen’s Bishop’s file) |
| 3. KB-QB4 (King’s Bishop to the fourth square of the Queen’s Bishop’s file) | 3. KB-QB4 |
| 4. P-QB3 | 4. KKt-KB3 |
| 5. P-Q4 | 5. P takes P (or PxP) (King’s pawn takes White’s Queen’s pawn) |
| 6. P takes P (or PxP) (Queen’s Bishop’s pawn takes pawn: no other pawn has a pawn en prise) | 6. KB-QKt5 (ch., i.e. check) |
It is now usual to express the notation as concisely as possible; thus, the third moves of White and Black would be given as 3. B-B4, because it is clear that only the fourth square of the queen’s bishop’s file is intended.
The French names for the pieces are, King, Roi; Queen, Dame; Rook, Tour; Knight, Cavalier; Pawn, Pion; for Bishop the French substitute Fou, a jester. Chess is Les Échecs.
The German notation employs the alphabetical characters a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h, proceeding from left to right, and the numerals 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8, running upwards, these being always calculated from the white side of the board (see diagram 2). Thus the White Queen’s Rook’s square is a1, the White Queen’s square is d1; the Black Queen’s square, d8; the White King’s square, e1; the Black King’s square, e8, and so with the other pieces and squares. The German names of the pieces are as follows:—King, König; Queen, Dame; Rook, Turm; Bishop, Läufer; Knight, Springer; Pawn, Bauer; Chess, Schach.
The initials only of the pieces are given, the pawns (Bauern) being understood. The Germans use the following signs in their notation, viz.:—for “check” (†); “checkmate” (‡); “takes” (:); “castles on king’s side” (0-0); “castles on queen’s side” (0-0-0); for “best move” a note of admiration (!); for “weak move” a note of interrogation (?). The opening moves just given in the English will now be given in the German notation:—
| White. | Black. |
| 1. e2 - e4 | 1. e7 - e5 |
| 2. S g1 - f3 | 2. S b8 - c6 |
| 3. L f1 - c4 | 3. L f8 - c5 |
| 4. c2 - c3 | 4. S g8 - f6! |
| 5. d2 - d4 | 5. e5 - d4: |
| 6. c3 - d4: | 6. L cs - b4† |
In both notations the moves are often given in a tabular form, thus:—