Chessy
What Is PGN in Chess?
PGN (Portable Game Notation) is the standard text format for recording a whole chess game — the moves plus tags like the players, event, date, and result — readable by both humans and every chess program.
What a PGN file looks like
A PGN file starts with a block of tags in square brackets — things like [White "Carlsen, Magnus"], [Event "World Championship"], and [Result "1-0"] — followed by the moves themselves written in standard algebraic notation, such as 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6. It's plain text, so you can open it in any text editor and still read the game.
Why PGN exists
Before a shared standard, every chess program stored games in its own format, making it hard to share games between tools. PGN solved that by giving the whole chess world one common language — you can export a game from one app, paste it into another, or publish it in an article, and it will always be understood the same way.
What PGN is used for
PGN files are how games get shared, archived, and studied: broadcast platforms publish live games as PGN, databases store millions of historical games in it, and players export their own games from apps to analyze later. Almost every chess website and engine can import and export PGN directly.
Frequently asked questions
What does PGN stand for in chess?
Portable Game Notation — a plain-text standard for recording chess games and their metadata.
What information does a PGN file contain?
Tag information like the players, event, date, and result, followed by the game's moves in standard algebraic notation.
Can I open a PGN file without special software?
Yes, it's plain text, so any text editor can display it — though a chess program will let you replay the moves on a board.
How is PGN different from FEN?
PGN records an entire game's moves and metadata, while FEN encodes a single snapshot position. They're complementary formats.