Free PGN move converter

Chess notation converter

Paste a legal move sequence or one PGN game. Convert its main line to normalized SAN, UCI coordinate moves and the exact final FEN.

What each output means

One game, three practical formats

SAN is the readable move notation used in books and PGN files. UCI writes the origin and destination squares, such as e2e4, which is useful for engines and software. FEN records the position after the final move so you can reopen that exact board.

Not sure why a move is written Nf3, exd5 or O-O? Read the chess notation guide before converting it.

Limits

Strict rather than partial

The converter reads one game and its main line. Comments and move annotations do not change the output. Parenthesized variations and multiple games are rejected, because flattening them would produce an ambiguous final position. Everything runs in your browser; the PGN is not uploaded.

FAQ

Converting chess moves correctly

What chess notation formats does this converter produce?

It produces normalized Standard Algebraic Notation (SAN), UCI coordinate moves and the final Forsyth-Edwards Notation (FEN) position from one legal move sequence or PGN main line.

Does the converter check whether every move is legal?

Yes. Each SAN move is played from the current position. If a move is illegal or cannot be read, the converter names its place in the sequence and returns no partial result.

Can it convert a PGN that starts from a custom position?

Yes. Include valid SetUp and FEN tags in the PGN. The move numbers, side to move and final FEN will follow that starting position.

Does it preserve comments and variations?

No. This focused converter reads one game and one main line. It ignores comments and annotations, and asks you to remove parenthesized variations rather than silently flattening them.

Keep working from the converted position

Check the final FEN with Stockfish, review every move in the game, or keep the line with notes and annotations.

Open the analysis boardOpen Game ReviewCreate a Study

Try castling and promotion, then inspect the output

The example buttons in the converter load legal move sequences. Press Convert notation to compare the normalized SAN, coordinate moves and final position.

  1. Load Castling example and convert it. Look at the final SAN and UCI move.
  2. Load Promotion example. Notice its SetUp and FEN headers: the pawn starts on a7, not in the normal opening position.
  3. Copy the final FEN into the analysis board to check that it describes the resulting pieces and the next side to move.
Why does O-O become e1g1?

SAN names the castling move; UCI records the king’s start and destination squares. The rook movement is implied by the legal position. This example is standard chess.

Why does a8=Q+ become a7a8q?

The last q identifies the promotion piece in UCI. SAN uses =Q and adds + for check. The converter preserves the move’s meaning while changing the notation.

Why can I not remove the FEN header from the promotion example?

Without the setup position, the parser begins from the normal starting board, where a7 is occupied by a black pawn. A move list must be interpreted from the correct starting position.