PGN (Portable Game Notation)

PGN — short for Portable Game Notation — is the standard plain-text format for recording a whole chess game. It bundles the moves (written in algebraic notation) together with tags describing the game: who played, where, when, and how it ended. It’s the format every major site and app uses to export and import games, which is why it’s called “portable.”

If FEN is a photo of one position, PGN is the full movie — every move from start to finish, ready to replay.

What a PGN file looks like

A PGN has two parts: a tag section (in square brackets) and a movetext section.

[Event "Casual Game"]
[Site "Chess Lab Academy"]
[Date "2026.07.13"]
[White "Player One"]
[Black "Player Two"]
[Result "1-0"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 1-0

Reading it top to bottom:

• The Seven Tag Roster (Event, Site, Date, Round, White, Black, Result) is the standard header. Our example trims Round for brevity.
• The movetext is just the game in algebraic notation: move number, White’s move, Black’s move.
• The result appears twice — once in the Result tag and again at the very end of the moves. 1-0 = White won, 0-1 = Black won, 1/2-1/2 = draw, * = game unfinished.

You can also drop comments in { curly braces } and variations in ( parentheses ), so annotated games and lessons live comfortably in PGN too.

Related terms

• FEN — a one-line snapshot; PGN is the whole game.
• Algebraic notation — the move language inside the movetext.
• Learn the moves themselves: chess notation explained and how to castle (that’s the O-O above).
• Back to the chess glossary.

Mini-FAQ

How do I open a PGN file? Any chess app or website with an “import PGN” button will read it and let you step through the game. PGN is just text, so you can also open it in any text editor.

What does the result at the end mean? 1-0 White won, 0-1 Black won, 1/2-1/2 a draw, and * a game with no recorded result. It repeats the Result tag so a reader knows the outcome without scrolling up.

Written and fact-checked by the Chess Lab Academy Editorial Team (AI-assisted, human-edited) · Format cross-checked against Wikipedia; example move sequence legality-verified with python-chess · Last verified 2026-07-13 · Sources · How we verify content.