FEN notation

Can anyone teach me how to insert or use FEN notation ? It seems a bit too complex for me .

Do you know how to construct a FEN string?

That's why I posted this thread , to find out how.

Originally posted by SicilianNajdorf
Can anyone teach me how to insert or use FEN notation ? It seems a bit too complex for me .

A FEN record contains 6 fields. The separator between fields is a space. The fields are:

1) Piece placement (from white's perspective). Each rank is described, starting with rank 8 and ending with rank 1; within each rank, the contents of each square are described from file a through file h. White pieces are designated using upper-case letters ("KQRBNP"😉, Black by lowercase ("kqrbnp"😉. Blank squares are noted using digits 1 through 8 (the number of blank squares), and "/" separate ranks.

2) Active color. "w" means white moves next, "b" means black.

3) Castling availability. If neither side can castle, this is "-". Otherwise, this has one or more letters: "K" (White can castle kingside), "Q" (White can castle queenside), "k" (Black can castle kingside), and/or "q" (Black can castle queenside).

4) En passant target square. If there's no en passant target square, this is "-". If a pawn has just made a 2-square move, this is the position "behind" the pawn.

5) Halfmove clock: This is the number of halfmoves since the last pawn advance or capture. This is used to determine if a draw can be claimed under the fifty move rule.

6) Fullmove number: The number of the full move. It starts at 1, and is incremented after Black's move.


Taken from wikipedia

You really only need to worry about 1) in the above post. That's a basic FEN string which can describe any given chess position.

Then you can use the FEN link when posting.

Can you guys show me an two different examples and the board as well, that way it'll be easier for me to see how it works.

Originally posted by SicilianNajdorf
Can you guys show me an two different examples and the board as well, that way it'll be easier for me to see how it works.

The initial position.

Click "Reply & Quote" here to view the string.

Originally posted by SicilianNajdorf
Can anyone teach me how to insert or use FEN notation ? It seems a bit too complex for me .

There is an easier way than just typing the FEN in. I use a free program called ChessPad from http://www.wmlsoftware.com . You see the board, get the position you want the FEN for and under the "Position" menu just "Copy as...FEN" and paste it in the little box that comes up when click on "Insert board from FEN" at the bottom of the posting page with the "Insert smilies" 🙂

Simple, easy, and fairly clean, or I think so anyway. ChessPad also works for grabbing those quick PGNs from emails and such you just want to take a quick look at using copy and "Game"/"Paste from...PGN" Sure I can do this with other applications I have available, but ChessPad seems to be a much lighter program and just pops up faster!



White to move and several moves...

There ya go!

I thought all chess programs had this feature.

You sound like an advertisement.

I've been told that before, but I think anyone giving good features of a product or service sounds like an advertisment to some degree regardless of how they say it. Btw I'm not affiliated with them other than using the software and being pleased with it for what it does.

Can you do this with the Chessmaster series software? I know SCID has the feature.

Originally posted by Drax946
I've been told that before, but I think anyone giving good features of a product or service sounds like an advertisment to some degree regardless of how they say it. Btw I'm not affiliated with them other than using the software and being pleased with it for what it does.

Can you do this with the Chessmaster series software? I know SCID has the feature.

What is SCID?

Originally posted by sonhouse
What is SCID?

Mr Google seems to know.

Originally posted by sonhouse
What is SCID?

It's a freeware chess database.

I thought I typed white to move and win in several moves, but win seems to have been left out.

Originally posted by Bowmann
[fen]rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR[/fen]


The initial position.

Click "Reply & Quote" here to view the string.

Golly.