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What is the PGN file format?
.pgn (Portable Game Notation) is the most popular chess game data standard. .pgn files store chess match moves along with match date, location, event name, round, result of the game, and player names.
Data structure of a .pgn file
Header data in a .pgn file is formatted using bracketed tag pairs. The mandatory set - the Seven Tag Roster - covers [Event], [Site], [Date], [Round], [White], [Black], and [Result]. Player movements follow in a *movetext* section using Standard Algebraic Notation (SAN), with comments in { } braces and annotations such as ! or ?. There is no binary signature; .pgn files are identified by the opening [Event " tag.
Data saved in text format
.pgn files store information in plain text format (ASCII), and can thus be easily read by humans and programs alike. Multiple games may be concatenated into a single .pgn file, which is common for opening books and tournament databases. Related position formats include .FEN for individual board positions and .EPD for extended position descriptions.
Commonly used standard
.pgn format is commonly used for storing and sharing (including online) chess match data via platforms such as Lichess and Chess.com. .pgn files can be used for post-match and player progress analysis, engine training, and archiving tournament records.
Security & safety
RISK: LOWPGN is plain text with no executable content, so the files are inherently safe to open. The only caveats: a malformed/huge PGN could stress a poorly written parser, and as always download chess software from official sites rather than ad-laden "PGN viewer" portals. There is no macro or script capability in the format.
Format details
in a nutshellFULL NAMEPortable Game Notation (chess)
DEVELOPERSteven J. Edwards (community specification)since 1994 (PGN specification)
CATEGORYGame Files
MIME TYPEapplication/x-chess-pgn
TYPEPlain-text chess game record (tags + movetext)
STANDARDOpen · royalty-free
Programs that open PGN files
Windows4 apps
SCID vs. PC
Open-source File → Open the .pgn to browse, replay and analyze games with a built-in engine. 
macOS2 apps
Linux2 apps
Android1 app
iOS1 app
Web2 apps
Lichess Analysis Board
Free Paste the PGN text (or upload) to replay, get free engine analysis and share. Technical details
deep spec| MIME type | application/x-chess-pgn |
| File encoding | 7-bit ASCII plain text |
| File signature | No binary magic bytes; identified in practice by opening [Event "..."] bracket tag |
| File structure | Two-section layout: bracketed tag pairs (header) followed by movetext (game moves) |
| Mandatory header tags | Seven Tag Roster - [Event], [Site], [Date], [Round], [White], [Black], [Result] |
| Move notation | Standard Algebraic Notation (SAN) |
| Annotation glyphs | Numeric Annotation Glyphs (NAGs) $1-$255; common shorthand: !, ?, !!, ??, !?, ?! |
| Comment syntax | Block comments in { } braces; line comments after ; (to end of line) |
| Variation support | Recursive Analysis Variations (RAVs) encoded in nested parentheses |
| Multi-game support | Multiple complete games can be concatenated in a single .pgn file |
| Result values | Fixed vocabulary: 1-0 (White wins), 0-1 (Black wins), 1/2-1/2 (draw), * (unknown/ongoing) |
| Line length | Spec recommends ≤ 80 characters per line; LF or CRLF line endings accepted |
| Developer | Steven J. Edwards (community-developed specification) |
| Released | 1994 (PGN specification) |
| Open standard | Yes · royalty-free |
| Specification | www.thechessdrum.net |
PGN conversions
Possible
.PGN .FENGUIDE
Yes -- open the PGN in any chess GUI, navigate to the position you need, and copy the FEN for that move.
How to convert
.PGN .PDFGUIDE
Yes, you can convert PGN to PDF - the fastest route is to import the game into Lichess Study and print to PDF…
How to convert
.PGN .GIFGUIDE
Yes - paste the PGN into Lichess and download an animated board GIF in seconds.
How to convert
Not possible
Community Q&A
asked by users
V
Frequently asked questions
What is a PGN file in chess?
It's a Portable Game Notation file: a plain-text record of chess game(s) with headers (event, players, result) and the moves in algebraic notation, readable by any chess program.
How do I open a PGN file?
Paste or upload it to Lichess or Chess.com to replay and analyze for free, or use a desktop app like SCID vs. PC, Lucas Chess, XBoard/WinBoard or ChessBase. Any text editor shows the raw moves.
How do I analyze a PGN with an engine?
Import it into Lichess's analysis board (free Stockfish) or a GUI like SCID vs. PC / Lucas Chess, which run an engine over every move.
Can I open a PGN in Notepad?
Yes - it's plain text, so Notepad shows the headers and moves. You just won't see them played out on a board; for that use a chess app.
How do I get a FEN from a PGN?
Open the game in any chess GUI, navigate to the position you want, and copy the FEN for that move. FEN is a single position; PGN is the whole game.
Why does the database call .pgn a 'Picatinny Arsenal' file?
That label is incorrect for the common meaning. The overwhelmingly dominant .pgn format is chess Portable Game Notation; this page describes that.
References
1PGN Standard - full specification (Steven J. Edwards, 1994)www.thechessdrum.net
2Lichess - paste / import PGNlichess.org
