Scoresheet

In classical tournament play each player records their own moves and their opponent's, move after move, as clearly as possible. The sheet may be paper or an approved electronic version, and it must stay visible to the arbiter throughout the game. It belongs to the organizer, not to the player. You may reply to your opponent's move before writing it down, but you must record your previous move before you make another. Recording in advance is forbidden, except when you are claiming a draw. Besides moves, the sheet can carry clock times, offers of a draw marked with (=), and details of a claim. A player with less than five minutes left, and no increment of thirty seconds or more, may stop recording until the time control ends. In rapid and blitz games played under the rapid rules, recording is not required. At the end, both players sign both sheets or approve the electronic record; even if the result written is wrong, it stands unless the arbiter decides otherwise. A complete sheet also proves claims such as repetition, and it is the raw material for post-game study. Keep yours and replay it with an engine afterwards.

It sits close to Descriptive notation. Descriptive notation is the older system that records moves relative to each side's own pieces and ranks, such as P-K4 or N-KB3, and it has been largely replaced by algebraic notation.

Also worth reading is Draw offer. A draw offer is a proposal to end the game in a draw; under the Laws it is made after you move and before you press your clock, carries no conditions, and cannot be withdrawn once made.

Compare it with Long algebraic notation. Long algebraic notation is the fuller form of algebraic notation in which each move lists its square of departure as well as its square of arrival, so the knight move Nf3 becomes Ng1-f3 and the pawn move e4 becomes e2-e4.

Knowing "Scoresheet" is the easy part; what to practice next depends on your rating, and the improvement plans by rating band list the habits worth building at each level.

Related terms

• Algebraic notation

  Algebraic notation is the standard system for recording chess moves, naming each square by file letter and rank number and each move by the piece letter and destination square, as in Nf3 or exd5.

• Draw offer

  A draw offer is a proposal to end the game in a draw; under the Laws it is made after you move and before you press your clock, carries no conditions, and cannot be withdrawn once made.

• Threefold repetition

  Threefold repetition lets the player whose turn it is claim a draw once the same position has occurred at least three times, whatever order of moves produced it.

• Arbiter

  The arbiter is the official who sees that the Laws of Chess and the rules of the event are followed, rules on disputes and claims, and can penalize rule breaches during a tournament.

• PGN

  PGN is a text-file standard for chess games: header tags name the event, players and result, then the moves follow in algebraic notation, so databases, engines and websites can all import the same file.

• Chess clock

  A chess clock is a pair of linked timers of which only one runs at a time; after each move a player presses their side to stop their own time and start the opponent's.

Guides that go further

• How to choose a chess coach

  What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.

• How much does chess coaching cost?

  Published rates for private, group and subscription chess coaching, with the source and the date of each.

• The first lesson

  A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.

Sources

• FIDE Laws of Chess (effective 1 January 2023), Articles 8.1 to 8.3, read Oct 21, 2026.
• FIDE Laws of Chess (effective 1 January 2023), Articles 8.4 and 8.5, read Oct 21, 2026.
• FIDE Laws of Chess (effective 1 January 2023), Article 8.7, read Oct 21, 2026.
• FIDE Laws of Chess (effective 1 January 2023), Appendix A.2 and B.3, read Oct 21, 2026.