On 01-17-98 16:38, CHRISTOPHER COYNE wrote
 
KB> Algebraic notation isn't at all hard to learn. I would recommend th
KB> add it to your repertoire; knowing both will enable you not only to
KB> here (many of the folks here may not even know descriptive), but to
KB> books written anywhere. If you'd like help in learning algebraic no
KB> let me know.
 
CC>I'd like to know it.  The problem is I can learn by a "description" so 
CC>to say.  I either have to see or actually do it.  I learned descriptive
CC>notation by looking at a diagram.  I learned coordinate notation by 
CC>actually using it.
The files are lettered from a to h, starting at White's left. The ranks are 
numbered from 1 to 8 starting at White's side. 
Each square is identified by the letter of its file followed by the number 
of its rank. So the square at White's left elbow is a1, and the square at 
Black's left elbow is h8.
A move is written as a single capital letter (the initial of the piece 
being moved--R, N, B, Q, or K), followed by the square it moves to. The 
absence of a capital letter means a pawn is being moved. If the move is a 
capture, an "x" is inserted after the capital letter. If it's a pawn doing 
the capturing, the small letter indicating the capturing pawn's file 
precedes the "x."
That's almost all there is to it. Just a couple of other things: If two 
pieces can move to a square, you need to qualify which one is being moved. 
So, for example, with a Knight on f3 and another on b1, Nd1 would be 
ambiguous. If you want to move the Knight on b1, you write "Nbd2" or 
"N1d2."
A + following a move is check and ++ is mate. Castles works the same as in 
descriptive, 0-0 and 0-0-0.
Here's a brief example, in both descriptive and algebraic, to compare:
1 P-K4  P-K4         1 e4   e5
2 N-KB3 N-QB3        2 Nf3  Nc6
3 B-C4  N-B3         3 Bc4  Nf6
4 N-N5  P-Q4         4 Ng5  d5
5 PxP   NxP          5 exd5 Nxd5
6 NxBP  KxN          6 Nxf7 Kxf7
7 Q-B3ch             7 Qf3+
-                              - Ken Blake       kblake@primenet.com -
---
 * WR 1.31 # 119 * Dog biscuits are made from collie flour.
---------------