Lesson 6 - Algebraic Notation: Exercises

Even though exercises are not required, I recommend working on them.  They will help you grasp and practice the things you learn from the lessons more efficiently. You can certainly go back and sneak in the previous pages... but try first to answer the questions without going back. By doing so, you will make your memory work a bit and it is a pretty good thing to keep the memory working if you want to become a good chess player.

Questions

You will need a chessboard to do some of the exercises. You can try solving them without a chessboard to practice your memory and develop your visualisation and calculation skills but it will be a lot more difficult. When you are done, you can use the Verify button to see you results. If you want to do the exercises all over again, use the button Do it again.

1. Associate the symbols with their meaning by entering the number you will find left of the symbol in the text box corresponding to the description:
a) a capture    1. !
b) queenside castling 2. O-O
c) Black won 3. 0-1
d) a draw 4. ½-½
e) White is winning 5. O-O-O
f) check 6. +-
g) bad move 7. ?!
h) dubious move 8. x
i) kingside castling 9. +
j) good move 10. ?
    
2. For question 2, you must associate the resulting position (diagrams) with the moves list.

a) Game 1: 
1. e4 e5
2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bb5 a6
4. Bxc6 bxc6
5. Nxe5 Nf6
1. To which letter can you associate this diagram to?
b) Game 2: 
1. d4 Nf6
2. c4 e6
3. Nc3 Bb4
4. Qc2 d5
5. Bd2 Nc6
2. To which letter can you associate this diagram to?
c) Game 3: 
1. Nf3 d5
2. g3 Nc6
3. Bg2 e5
4. O-O Bg4
5. d4 exd4
3. To which letter can you associate this diagram to?
d) Game 4: 
1. Nf3 Nf6
2. Nc3 d5
3. Nd4 Nc6
4. Ndb5 e5
5. d4 exd4
4. To which letter can you associate this diagram to?
e) Game 5: 
1. e4 f6
2. d4 d5
3. Nc3 Nd7
4. Bf4 g5??
5. Qh5# 1-0
5. To which letter can you associate this diagram to?
3. In the following diagrams, one of the player can checkmate his opponent in 2 moves. You have to find the checkmate and indicate the moving sequence in algebraic notation in the appropriate text boxes. Do not forget to use all the necessary symbols (to note the checks and the checkmate).
    
a) White to move.
1.
2. 1 - 0

Click here to have a clue
Mate in 2 - white to move
b) White to move.
1.
2. 1 - 0

Click here to have a clue
Mate in 2 - white to move
c) Black to move.
1. ...
2.
3. 0 - 1

Click here to have a clue
Mate in 2 - black to move

  

Solutions are available here
(solutions contain detailed explanations for some questions...)

When you are done, you can continue with the next lesson and learn the different phases of a game of chessonline chess tutorial.