PGN Format Explained: How to Read Chess Game Files
TL;DR: PGN (Portable Game Notation) is a plain text format for chess games. It has two parts: a tag section with metadata in square brackets, and a movetext section with the actual moves. All major chess sites and software can import and export PGN.
What is PGN?
PGN stands for Portable Game Notation. It was developed in 1993 by Steven Edwards and William Warren as a human-readable, machine-parseable format for recording chess games. It has since become the universal standard — every major chess database, website, and engine supports it.
A PGN file is plain text. You can open it in a text editor, email it, post it in a forum, or feed it to a chess engine. This universality is why PGN won: it's not locked to any software.
The structure of a PGN file
A PGN game has two sections:
- Tag pairs — metadata about the game, written in square brackets
- Movetext — the actual moves in algebraic notation, followed by the result
Here's a complete PGN example — Paul Morphy's Opera Game (1858):
[Event "Opera Game"] [Site "Paris"] [Date "1858.??.??"] [Round "?"] [White "Morphy, Paul"] [Black "Duke Karl / Count Isouard"] [Result "1-0"] [ECO "C41"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Bg4 4. dxe5 Bxf3 5. Qxf3 dxe5 6. Bc4 Nf6 7. Qb3 Qe7 8. Nc3 c6 9. Bg5 b5 10. Nxb5 cxb5 11. Bxb5+ Nbd7 12. O-O-O Rd8 13. Rxd7 Rxd7 14. Rd1 Qe6 15. Bxd7+ Nxd7 16. Qb8+ Nxb8 17. Rd8# 1-0
The tag section
Each tag is a key-value pair in square brackets. The seven required tags are:
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| [Event] | Tournament or match name |
| [Site] | Location |
| [Date] | Date played (YYYY.MM.DD format) |
| [Round] | Round number |
| [White] | White player's name |
| [Black] | Black player's name |
| [Result] | Game result: 1-0, 0-1, 1/2-1/2, or * |
Unknown values are represented by a question mark in quotes: [Round "?"]
The movetext section
The movetext is written in Standard Algebraic Notation (SAN), with move numbers preceding White's move. Black's reply follows on the same line with no number prefix.
The game ends with the result token: 1-0 (White wins), 0-1 (Black wins), 1/2-1/2 (draw), or * (unknown/unfinished).
Annotations and comments can be added in curly braces:
Variations (alternative lines) are written in parentheses:
How to open PGN files
PGN files can be opened in:
- Lichess: Use the 'Import game' feature at lichess.org/paste. Free, no account required.
- Chess.com: Use the 'Analysis board' and paste PGN.
- ChessBase: The industry-standard database software. Paid, but powerful.
- SCID: Free, open-source chess database. Handles large PGN collections well.
- Text editor: PGN is plain text — you can read the raw moves in any text editor.
Practice reading PGN
The best way to get comfortable with PGN is to step through real games. ChessNotate's PGN Walkthrough drill lets you step through famous games move by move, reading the notation in context. It's the fastest way to go from knowing the symbols to actually fluent reading.
Frequently asked questions
What is a PGN file in chess?
PGN stands for Portable Game Notation. It is a plain text file format for recording chess games, including the moves and metadata (players, date, result, event). PGN is the universal standard for sharing chess games — all major chess databases, websites, and engines support it.
How do I open a PGN file?
PGN files can be opened in any chess interface: chess.com, Lichess (use the 'Import game' feature), ChessBase, or free software like SCID. PGN files are plain text, so you can also open them in a text editor to read the raw notation.
What does * mean in PGN notation?
An asterisk (*) at the end of a PGN game means the result is unknown or the game is unfinished. Definite results are: 1-0 (White wins), 0-1 (Black wins), and 1/2-1/2 (draw).