Board Coordinates

Every square has a name: a file (a–h, left to right from White's view) and a rank (1–8, bottom to top from White's view). The bottom-left corner from White's perspective is always a1; the top-right is h8. If you play Black, the board looks flipped — but the names stay the same.

Pattern to remember: read file first, rank second. e4 = file e, rank 4.

Coordinates unlock everything else — every book, every video, every puzzle uses them.