PGN: a practical example
A PGN can contain player names, event information, a result, comments, and alternative variations. It is useful for exporting a completed game from a playing platform and reopening it in another analysis tool without manually re-entering every move.
How to use the idea in your games
Keep an untouched copy of the original game before adding engine lines. Separate moves actually played from analysis variations so that later readers do not confuse the two.
A useful study question
Can you explain pgn in your own words, identify it in a position, and describe when the idea does not apply? Test the explanation on a legal board before relying on it.
Connect the ideas
Algebraic notation, FEN, Principal variation are useful next concepts. Follow the links to compare definitions and examples, then return to the complete chess glossary whenever an unfamiliar term appears.
Sources & further reading
References checked September 5, 2026. Linked services are independent of ChessRankings.com™.