Portable Game Notation Specification and Implementation Guide

This is a online version of the "Portable Game Notation Specification and Implementation Guide".

In my opinion, the sections 13 (PGN software), 19 (Canonical chess position hash coding), 20 (Binary representation), and 21 (E-mail correspondence usage) are obsolete and should be deleted: PGN reading/writing is a must for all chess software nowadays. I never saw a software, using a binary PGN representation. And I am not sure, whether there is a need for a canonical chess position hash coding, or for a special PGN E-mail correspondence usage.

PGN Standard: Long Index

0: Preface

1: Introduction

2: Chess data representation
2.1: Data interchange incompatibility
2.2: Specification goals
2.3: A sample PGN game

3: Formats: import and export
3.1: Import format allows for manually prepared data
3.2: Export format used for program generated output
3.2.1: Byte equivalence
3.2.2: Archival storage and the newline character
3.2.3: Speed of processing
3.2.4: Reduced export format

4: Lexicographical issues
4.1: Character codes
4.2: Tab characters
4.3: Line lengths

5: Commentary

6: Escape mechanism

7: Tokens

8: Parsing games
8.1: Tag pair section
8.1.1: Seven Tag Roster
8.1.1.1: The Event tag
8.1.1.2: The Site tag
8.1.1.3: The Date tag
8.1.1.4: The Round tag
8.1.1.5: The White tag
8.1.1.6: The Black tag
8.1.1.7: The Result tag
8.2: Movetext section
8.2.1: Movetext line justification
8.2.2: Movetext move number indications
8.2.2.1: Import format move number indications
8.2.2.2: Export format move number indications
8.2.3: Movetext SAN (Standard Algebraic Notation)
8.2.3.1: Square identification
8.2.3.2: Piece identification
8.2.3.3: Basic SAN move construction
8.2.3.4: Disambiguation
8.2.3.5: Check and checkmate indication characters
8.2.3.6: SAN move length
8.2.3.7: Import and export SAN
8.2.3.8: SAN move suffix annotations
8.2.4: Movetext NAG (Numeric Annotation Glyph)
8.2.5: Movetext RAV (Recursive Annotation Variation)
8.2.6: Game Termination Markers

9: Supplemental tag names
9.1: Player related information
9.1.1: Tags: WhiteTitle, BlackTitle
9.1.2: Tags: WhiteElo, BlackElo
9.1.3: Tags: WhiteUSCF, BlackUSCF
9.1.4: Tags: WhiteNA, BlackNA
9.1.5: Tags: WhiteType, BlackType
9.2: Event related information
9.2.1: Tag: EventDate
9.2.2: Tag: EventSponsor
9.2.3: Tag: Section
9.2.4: Tag: Stage
9.2.5: Tag: Board
9.3: Opening information (locale specific)
9.3.1: Tag: Opening
9.3.2: Tag: Variation
9.3.3: Tag: SubVariation
9.4: Opening information (third party vendors)
9.4.1: Tag: ECO
9.4.2: Tag: NIC
9.5: Time and date related information
9.5.1: Tag: Time
9.5.2: Tag: UTCTime
9.5.3: Tag:; UTCDate
9.6: Time control
9.6.1: Tag: TimeControl
9.7: Alternative starting positions
9.7.1: Tag: SetUp
9.7.2: Tag: FEN
9.8: Game conclusion
9.8.1: Tag: Termination
9.9: Miscellaneous
9.9.1: Tag: Annotator
9.9.2: Tag: Mode
9.9.3: Tag: PlyCount

10: Numeric Annotation Glyphs

11: File names and directories
11.1: File name suffix for PGN data
11.2: File name formation for PGN data for a specific player
11.3: File name formation for PGN data for a specific event
11.4: File name formation for PGN data for chronologically ordered games
11.5: Suggested directory tree organization

12: PGN collating sequence

13: PGN software
13.1:  The SAN Kit
13.2:  pgnRead
13.3:  mail2pgn/GIICS
13.4:  XBoard
13.5:  cupgn
13.6:  Zarkov
13.7:  Chess Assistant
13.8:  BOOKUP
13.9:  HIARCS
13.10: Deja Vu
13.11: MV2PGN
13.12: The Hansen utilities (cb2pgn, nic2pgn, pgn2cb, pgn2nic)
13.13: Slappy the Database
13.14: CBASCII
13.15: ZZZZZZ
13.16: icsconv
13.17: CHESSOP (CHESSOPN/CHESSOPG)
13.18: CAT2PGN
13.19: pgn2opg

14: PGN data archives

15: International Olympic Committee country codes

16: Additional chess data standards
16.1: FEN
16.1.1: History
16.1.2: Uses for a position notation
16.1.3: Data fields
16.1.3.1: Piece placement data
16.1.3.2: Active color
16.1.3.3: Castling availability
16.1.3.4: En passant target square
16.1.3.5: Halfmove clock
16.1.3.6: Fullmove number
16.1.4: Examples
16.2: EPD
16.2.1: History
16.2.2: Uses for an extended position notation
16.2.3: Data fields
16.2.3.1: Piece placement data
16.2.3.2: Active color
16.2.3.3: Castling availability
16.2.3.4: En passant target square
16.2.4: Operations
16.2.4.1: General format
16.2.4.2: Opcode mnemonics
16.2.5: Opcode list
16.2.5.1:  Opcode "acn": analysis count: nodes
16.2.5.2:  Opcode "acs": analysis count: seconds
16.2.5.3:  Opcode "am": avoid move(s)
16.2.5.4:  Opcode "bm": best move(s)
16.2.5.5:  Opcode "c0": comment (primary, also "c1" though "c9")
16.2.5.6:  Opcode "ce": centipawn evaluation
16.2.5.7:  Opcode "dm": direct mate fullmove count
16.2.5.8:  Opcode "draw_accept": accept a draw offer
16.2.5.9:  Opcode "draw_claim": claim a draw
16.2.5.10: Opcode "draw_offer": offer a draw
16.2.5.11: Opcode "draw_reject": reject a draw offer
16.2.5.12: Opcode "eco": _Encyclopedia of Chess Openings_ opening code
16.2.5.13: Opcode "fmvn": fullmove number
16.2.5.14: Opcode "hmvc": halfmove clock
16.2.5.15: Opcode "id": position identification
16.2.5.16: Opcode "nic": _New In Chess_ opening code
16.2.5.17: Opcode "noop": no operation
16.2.5.18: Opcode "pm": predicted move
16.2.5.19: Opcode "pv": predicted variation
16.2.5.20: Opcode "rc": repetition count
16.2.5.21: Opcode "resign": game resignation
16.2.5.22: Opcode "sm": supplied move
16.2.5.23: Opcode "tcgs": telecommunication: game selector 
16.2.5.24: Opcode "tcri": telecommunication: receiver identification
16.2.5.25: Opcode "tcsi": telecommunication: sender identification
16.2.5.26: Opcode "v0": variation name (primary, also "v1" though "v9")

17: Alternative chesspiece identifier letters

18: Formal syntax

19: Canonical chess position hash coding

20: Binary representation (PGC)
20.1: Bytes, words, and doublewords
20.2: Move ordinals
20.3: String data
20.4: Marker codes
20.4.1:  Marker 0x01: reduced export format single game
20.4.2:  Marker 0x02: tag pair
20.4.3:  Marker 0x03: short move sequence
20.4.4:  Marker 0x04: long move sequence
20.4.5:  Marker 0x05: general game data begin
20.4.6:  Marker 0x06: general game data end
20.4.7:  Marker 0x07: simple-nag
20.4.8:  Marker 0x08: rav-begin
20.4.9:  Marker 0x09: rav-end
20.4.10: Marker 0x0a: escape-string

21: E-mail correspondence usage

• PGN Standard Section 0 - 7
• PGN Standard Section 8
• PGN Standard Section 9
• PGN Standard Section 11 - 13
• PGN Standard Section 14 - 15
• PGN Standard Section 16
• PGN Standard Section 17 - 19
• PGN Standard Section 20 - 21