FEN: a chess position in one line
FEN (Forsyth–Edwards Notation) is the standard way to write down any position. Every chess program and site understands it.
Example
Starting position: rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1
The parts of the string
- Placement. Ranks 8 to 1 separated by “/”. Capitals are White pieces, lower case are Black: K king, Q queen, R rook, B bishop, N knight, P pawn. A digit is a run of empty squares.
- Side to move: w for White, b for Black.
- Castling: K and Q mean White can castle short and long, k and q the same for Black. “-” means none.
- En passant: the square where an en passant capture is possible, or “-”.
- Half-move clock for the 50-move rule.
- Move number.
Where to get a FEN
On Lichess and Chess.com you will find it in the “Share” menu or in analysis mode. Copy it and press Ctrl+V on the analysis page — the position appears on the board.
Try it on the boardPosition analysis
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