Template:Chess diagram

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Template documentation follows
Note: the template above may sometimes be partially or fully invisible.
Visit "Template:Chess diagram/doc" to edit its documentation if it is available. (How does this work?)

This template uses Lua:

Module:Chessboard

These templates shows a chess diagram, a graphic representation of a position in a chess game, using standardised symbols resembling the pieces of the standard Staunton chess set. The default template for a standard chess board is {{Chess diagram}}. This documentation covers all related templates.

Templates

There are several standard chess diagram templates:

Template:Chess diagram (square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram small (square size 22x22 px)
Template:Chess diagram 4x4 (square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram 4x5 (square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram 5x5 (square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram 5x6 (square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram 6x6 (square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram 8x10 (Capablanca Chess square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram 8x10 small (Capablanca Chess square size 22x22 px)
Template:Chess diagram 9x9 (square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram 9x9 small (square size 22x22 px)
Template:Chess diagram 10x10 (square size 26x26 px)
Template:Chess diagram 10x10 small (square size 22x22 px)
For other board sizes, use {{#invoke:Chessboard mxn|chessboard mxn|board|cols=|rows=}}

There are also templates for chess variants:

Template:Alice chess diagram (Alice Chess, square size 22x22 px)
Template:Bughouse chess diagram (Bughouse chess, square size 22x22 px)
Template:Omega Chess diagram (Omega Chess with 10x10 board + 4 corners, 22x22 px)
Template:Tamerlane chess diagram (Tamerlane chess with 10x11 board + 2 citadels, 22x22 px)
Template:Raumschach diagram (5x5x5 board for one type of Three-dimensional chess, 22x22 px)
Template:3D chess diagram (3x8x8 board for some types of Three-dimensional chess, 22x22 px)
Template:Chad diagram (12x12 board with mostly light squares, square size 22x22 px)
Template:Chaturanga diagram (8x8 board with all light squares, square size 22x22 px)
Template:Fortress Chess diagram (14x14 board with 4x4 citadels and walls, square size 20x20 px)
Template:Enochian Chess diagram (8x8 board with 4 citadels, square size 22x22 px)
Template:Grid Chess diagram (8x8 board with grid lines every 2 squares, square size 22x22 px)
Template:Shatra diagram (6x7 board with 3x3 square attracted to the top and bottom by sqaure, square size 22x22 px)

Syntax

The syntax is basically the same for all chess diagram templates.

{{Chess diagram
| ⟨alignment⟩ (param #1)
| ⟨header⟩    (#2) 
| size =
| numbers =
| letters =
| ⟨a8⟩ | ⟨b8⟩ | ... | ⟨h8⟩  (#3 to ...
| ⟨a7⟩ | ⟨b7⟩ | ... | ⟨h7⟩
...
| ⟨a1⟩ | ⟨b1⟩ | ... | ⟨h1⟩  ( ... #66)
| ⟨footer⟩ (#67)
| reverse = 
}}

Parameters

⟨alignment⟩ – defines horizontal alignment (floating) of the whole table, must be floatright or floatleft (or nothing)
⟨header⟩ – the text which appears above the diagram, may be empty;
size - specifies the size of each square in pixels, the default is 26.
numbers - specifies whether the rows are numbered. Options are: left, right, both (default) or neither.
letters - specifies whether the columns are lettered. Options are: top, bottom, both (default) or neither.
⟨a8⟩, ⟨b8⟩, ... ⟨h1⟩ – define corresponding squares of the chessboard, see below;
⟨footer⟩ – the text which appears beneath the diagram, may be empty; optional – can be left out (currently not in the other templates)

A square is defined by the name of piece or empty parameter. The names of the pieces are those given in algebraic notation:

These letters are combined with either "l" for Light=White, or "d" for Dark=Black. So "kl" is White's king, and "nd" is Black's knight.

An empty square is written either using underscores, spaces, or nothing at all. Two spaces are recommended.

File:Chess d45.svgFile:Chess l45.svg ⟨space⟩ = empty square

Variant chess pieces

Fairy Chess pieces

There are also some fairy chess pieces available. In general, there is no convention for which inverted piece to use, but in general one should use something similar to how the fairy piece moves (e.g. a camel should use an inverted knight icon).

File:Chess fll45.svg File:Chess fld45.svg File:Chess fdl45.svg File:Chess fdd45.svg f = inverted King (Mann)
File:Chess gll45.svg File:Chess gld45.svg File:Chess gdl45.svg File:Chess gdd45.svg g = inverted Queen (Grasshopper)
File:Chess mll45.svg File:Chess mld45.svg File:Chess mdl45.svg File:Chess mdd45.svg m = inverted Rook (Wazir or Dabbaba)
File:Chess Bll45.svg File:Chess Bld45.svg File:Chess Bdl45.svg File:Chess Bdd45.svg B = inverted Bishop (Ferz or Alfil/Elephant)
File:Chess Nll45.svg File:Chess Nld45.svg File:Chess Ndl45.svg File:Chess Ndd45.svg N = inverted Knight (Nightrider or Camel)
File:Chess hll45.svg File:Chess hld45.svg File:Chess hdl45.svg File:Chess hdd45.svg h = inverted Pawn (Berolina pawn)
File:Chess all45.svg File:Chess ald45.svg File:Chess adl45.svg File:Chess add45.svg a = Archbishop (Princess)
File:Chess cll45.svg File:Chess cld45.svg File:Chess cdl45.svg File:Chess cdd45.svg c = Chancellor (Empress)
File:Chess Cll45.svg File:Chess Cld45.svg File:Chess Cct45.svg File:Chess Cmt45.svg C = Centaur
File:Chess All45.svg File:Chess Ald45.svg File:Chess Adl45.svg File:Chess Add45.svg A = Amazon
File:Chess xtl45.svg File:Chess xld45.svg File:Chess xat45.svg File:Chess xdd45.svg x = Commoner
File:Chess Mll45.svg File:Chess Mdl45.svg File:Chess Mdl45.svg File:Chess Mdd45.svg M = Mann (alternate symbol)
File:Chess Ull45.svg File:Chess Uld45.svg File:Chess Udl45.svg File:Chess Udd45.svg U = Unicorn
File:Chess Zll45.svg File:Chess Zld45.svg File:Chess Zdl45.svg File:Chess Zdd45.svg Z = Zebra
File:Chess Dll45.svg File:Chess Dld45.svg File:Chess Ddl45.svg File:Chess Ddd45.svg D = Dragon
File:Chess Gll45.svg File:Chess Gld45.svg File:Chess Gdl45.svg File:Chess Gdd45.svg G = Giraffe
File:Chess ell45.svg File:Chess eld45.svg File:Chess edl45.svg File:Chess edd45.svg e = Elephant (alternate symbol)
File:Chess slg45.svg File:Chess sdg45.svg s = boat/ship

Omega Chess pieces

Omega Chess pieces:

File:Chess zll45.svg File:Chess zld45.svg File:Chess zdl45.svg File:Chess zdd45.svg z = Champion
File:Chess wll45.svg File:Chess wld45.svg File:Chess wdl45.svg File:Chess wdd45.svg w = Wizard
File:Chess tll45.svg File:Chess tld45.svg File:Chess tdl45.svg File:Chess tdd45.svg t = Fool

Colored Pieces

Several pieces are available in green, red, yellow, and blue.

Other symbols

You can also use "xx" for a black cross, "ox" for a white cross, "xo" for a black circle on an empty square or "oo" for a white one.

File:Chess xxd45.svgFile:Chess xxl45.svg xx = black cross/x
File:Chess oxd45.svgFile:Chess oxl45.svg ox = white cross/x
File:Chess xod45.svgFile:Chess xol45.svg xo = black circle
File:Chess ood45.svgFile:Chess ool45.svg oo = white circle

When showing movement directions on the board, arrows are available

File:Chess uld45.svgFile:Chess ull45.svg ul = up & left
File:Chess uad45.svgFile:Chess ual45.svg ua = up
File:Chess urd45.svgFile:Chess url45.svg ur = up & right
File:Chess lad45.svgFile:Chess lal45.svg la = left
File:Chess lrd45.svgFile:Chess lrl45.svg lr = left & right
File:Chess udd45.svgFile:Chess udl45.svg ud = up & down
File:Chess rad45.svgFile:Chess ral45.svg ra = right
File:Chess dld45.svgFile:Chess dll45.svg dl = down & left
File:Chess dbd45.svgFile:Chess dbl45.svg db = diagonal as black
File:Chess dad45.svgFile:Chess dal45.svg da = down
File:Chess drd45.svgFile:Chess drl45.svg dr = down & right
File:Chess dwd45.svgFile:Chess dwl45.svg dw = diagonal as white

Numbers can also be added to squares by using "x0" for 0, "x1" for 1, "x2" for 2, ..., "x9" for 9.

ww also can be used to hide a space which can be used to make boards of a custom shape

File:Chess wwl45.svg ww = hidden space

Examples

Standard diagram

This diagram is recommended for common use as a main diagram in the articles on chess openings, endings, games, positions etc. See the corresponding code below.

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg a8 black rook b8 black knight c8 black bishop d8 black queen e8 black king f8 black bishop g8 black knight h8 black rook a7 black pawn b7 black pawn c7 black pawn d7 black pawn f7 black pawn g7 black pawn h7 black pawn e5 black pawn e4 white pawn f4 white pawn a2 white pawn b2 white pawn c2 white pawn d2 white pawn g2 white pawn h2 white pawn a1 white rook b1 white knight c1 white bishop d1 white queen e1 white king f1 white bishop g1 white knight h1 white rook								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

The King's Gambit

{{Chess diagram
| floatright
| 

|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|  |pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |pl|pl|  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|  |  |pl|pl
|rl|nl|bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl

| The King's Gambit
}}

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Empty board

{{Chess diagram
| floatright
| 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  

| Empty board
}}

Diagram with both captions

W. Langstaff, Chess Amateur 1922

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg e8 black king h8 black rook f6 white bishop h6 white pawn d5 white rook f5 white king g5 black pawn h5 white pawn								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Mate in 2

This problem uses partial retrograde analysis method.

It may be convenient to use this in the articles on chess problems. Please note that in the header and footer you can use bolds or italics. You can also use <br> to break the lines.

{{Chess diagram
| floatright
| '''W. Langstaff''', ''Chess Amateur'' 1922

|  |  |  |  |kd|  |  |rd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |bl|  |pl
|  |  |  |rl|  |kl|pd|pl
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  

| '''Mate in 2''' {{pb}}This problem uses ''partial retrograde analysis'' method.
}}

Diagram without captions

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg b6 black cross c6 black circle d6 black cross c5 white pawn f4 black circle e3 black cross f3 black circle g3 black cross f2 white pawn								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

See the corresponding code below. If you don't want the captions, just remove them, but don't delete the second "|" pipe character for the caption above; it is possible to delete the last pipe for the longer caption below.

The diagram floats to the left to illustrate the use of the first parameter.

{{Chess diagram
| floatleft
| 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |xx|xo|xx|  |  |  |  
|  |  |pl|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |xo|  |  
|  |  |  |  |xx|xo|xx|  
|  |  |  |  |  |pl|  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  

}}

Movement example

This can be used to show how pieces move.

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg c8 up arrow c7 up arrow a6 left arrow b6 left arrow c6 black rook d6 right arrow e6 right arrow f6 right arrow g6 right arrow h6 right arrow c5 down arrow c4 down arrow e4 up-left arrow f4 up arrow g4 up-right arrow c3 down arrow e3 left arrow f3 white king g3 right arrow c2 down arrow e2 down-left arrow f2 down arrow g2 down-right arrow c1 down arrow								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Example showing how white king can move any direction, but only one square, while black rook can move any number of squares but only up and down, and right and left.

{{Chess diagram 
| floatleft
| 

|  |  |ua|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |ua|  |  |  |  |  
|la|la|rd|ra|ra|ra|ra|ra
|  |  |da|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |da|  |ul|ua|ur|  
|  |  |da|  |la|kl|ra|  
|  |  |da|  |dl|da|dr|  
|  |  |da|  |  |  |  |  

|Example showing how white king can move any direction, but only one square, while black rook can move any number of squares but only up and down, and right and left.
}}

{{Chess diagram
| floatright
| 

|  |ul|  |ua|  |ur|  |  
|  |  |ul|ua|ur|  |  |  
|la|la|la|ql|ra|ra|ra|ra
|  |  |dl|da|dr|  |  |  
|  |dl|  |da|  |dr|  |  
|dl|  |  |da|  |  |dr|  
|  |  |  |da|  |  |  |dr
|  |  |  |da|  |  |  |  

}}

In the board on the right, it is shown that the white queen can go any distance in any of these directions.

Another method for the rook example:

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg c7 up-down arrow b6 left-right arrow c6 black rook d6 left-right arrow c5 up-down arrow e4 up-left arrow f4 up arrow g4 up-right arrow e3 left arrow f3 white king g3 right arrow e2 down-left arrow f2 down arrow g2 down-right arrow								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

{{Chess diagram
| floatleft
| 

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |ud|  |  |  |  |  
|  |lr|rd|lr|  |  |  |  
|  |  |ud|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |ul|ua|ur|  
|  |  |  |  |la|kl|ra|  
|  |  |  |  |dl|da|dr|  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  

}}

Small diagram

This one may be useful in articles with many diagrams. It uses another template named {{Chess diagram small}}.

The small diagrams can have header, too.

The Game of the Century

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg a8 black rook d8 black queen f8 black rook g8 black king a7 black pawn b7 black pawn e7 black pawn f7 black pawn g7 black bishop h7 black pawn b6 black knight c6 black pawn f6 black knight g6 black pawn c5 white queen g5 white bishop d4 white pawn e4 white pawn g4 black bishop c3 white knight f3 white knight a2 white pawn b2 white pawn f2 white pawn g2 white pawn h2 white pawn d1 white rook e1 white king f1 white bishop h1 white rook								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

Position after 11.Bg5

{{Chess diagram small
| floatright
| [[The Game of the Century (chess)|The Game of the Century]]

|rd|  |  |qd|  |rd|kd|  
|pd|pd|  |  |pd|pd|bd|pd
|  |nd|pd|  |  |nd|pd|  
|  |  |ql|  |  |  |bl|  
|  |  |  |pl|pl|  |bd|  
|  |  |nl|  |  |nl|  |  
|pl|pl|  |  |  |pl|pl|pl
|  |  |  |rl|kl|bl|  |rl

| Position after 11.Bg5
}}

Different board size

Chess boards of non-standard dimensions need special templates. There are templates for the following boards:

Minichess (5×5) – Template:Chess diagram 5x5

{{Chess diagram 5x5
| floatleft
| 

|kd|qd|bd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|kl|ql|bl|nl|rl

| Gardner minichess
}}

Los Alamos chess (6×6) – Template:Chess diagram 6x6

{{Chess diagram 6x6
| floatleft
| 

|rd|nd|qd|kd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|rl|nl|ql|kl|nl|rl

| Los Alamos chess
}}

	a	b	c	d	e	f
6	a6 black rook	b6 black knight	c6 black queen	d6 black king	e6 black knight	f6 black rook	6
5	a5 black pawn	b5 black pawn	c5 black pawn	d5 black pawn	e5 black pawn	f5 black pawn	5
4	a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	4
3	a3	b3	c3	d3	e3	f3	3
2	a2 white pawn	b2 white pawn	c2 white pawn	d2 white pawn	e2 white pawn	f2 white pawn	2
1	a1 white rook	b1 white knight	c1 white queen	d1 white king	e1 white knight	f1 white rook	1
	a	b	c	d	e	f

Los Alamos chess

Capablanca Chess (8×10)

{{Chess diagram 8x10
| floatleft
| 

|rd|nd|ad|bd|qd|kd|bd|cd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|rl|nl|al|bl|ql|kl|bl|cl|nl|rl

| Capablanca Chess
}}

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j
8	a8 black rook	b8 black knight	c8 black princess	d8 black bishop	e8 black queen	f8 black king	g8 black bishop	h8 black empress	i8 black knight	j8 black rook	8
7	a7 black pawn	b7 black pawn	c7 black pawn	d7 black pawn	e7 black pawn	f7 black pawn	g7 black pawn	h7 black pawn	i7 black pawn	j7 black pawn	7
6	a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6	i6	j6	6
5	a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5	i5	j5	5
4	a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4	i4	j4	4
3	a3	b3	c3	d3	e3	f3	g3	h3	i3	j3	3
2	a2 white pawn	b2 white pawn	c2 white pawn	d2 white pawn	e2 white pawn	f2 white pawn	g2 white pawn	h2 white pawn	i2 white pawn	j2 white pawn	2
1	a1 white rook	b1 white knight	c1 white princess	d1 white bishop	e1 white queen	f1 white king	g1 white bishop	h1 white empress	i1 white knight	j1 white rook	1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j

Capablanca Chess

Grand Chess

{{Chess diagram 10x10
| floatleft
| 

|rd|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |rd
|  |nd|bd|qd|kd|cd|ad|bd|nd|  
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|  |nl|bl|ql|kl|cl|al|bl|nl|  
|rl|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |rl

| Grand Chess
}}

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j
10	a10 black rook	b10	c10	d10	e10	f10	g10	h10	i10	j10 black rook	10
9	a9	b9 black knight	c9 black bishop	d9 black queen	e9 black king	f9 black empress	g9 black princess	h9 black bishop	i9 black knight	j9	9
8	a8 black pawn	b8 black pawn	c8 black pawn	d8 black pawn	e8 black pawn	f8 black pawn	g8 black pawn	h8 black pawn	i8 black pawn	j8 black pawn	8
7	a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7	i7	j7	7
6	a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6	i6	j6	6
5	a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5	i5	j5	5
4	a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4	i4	j4	4
3	a3 white pawn	b3 white pawn	c3 white pawn	d3 white pawn	e3 white pawn	f3 white pawn	g3 white pawn	h3 white pawn	i3 white pawn	j3 white pawn	3
2	a2	b2 white knight	c2 white bishop	d2 white queen	e2 white king	f2 white empress	g2 white princess	h2 white bishop	i2 white knight	j2	2
1	a1 white rook	b1	c1	d1	e1	f1	g1	h1	i1	j1 white rook	1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j

Grand Chess

Double boards

Bughouse chess (four players)

{{bughouse chess diagram
| A1=Team 1, Board A 
| A2=Team 2, Board A 
| B1=Team 1, Board B 
| B2=Team 2, Board B
| floatleft
|

|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|rl|nl|bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl

|rl|nl|bl|kl|ql|bl|nl|rl
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
|rd|nd|bd|kd|qd|bd|nd|rd

| Bughouse setup and starting position
}}

Team 2, Board A

a8	b8	c8	d8	e8	f8	g8	h8
a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7
a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6
a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5
a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4
a3	b3	c3	d3	e3	f3	g3	h3
a2	b2	c2	d2	e2	f2	g2	h2
a1	b1	c1	d1	e1	f1	g1	h1

Team 1, Board A

Team 2, Board B

a8	b8	c8	d8	e8	f8	g8	h8
a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7
a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6
a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5
a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4
a3	b3	c3	d3	e3	f3	g3	h3
a2	b2	c2	d2	e2	f2	g2	h2
a1	b1	c1	d1	e1	f1	g1	h1

Team 1, Board B

Bughouse setup and starting position

Alice Chess

Alice Chess (two players)

{{alice chess diagram
| floatleft
|

|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|  |nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|  |pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |nl|  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|rl|nl|bl|ql|kl|bl|  |rl

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |pd|  |  |  
|  |  |bd|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  

| Position after 1.Nf3 e6 2.Ne5 Bc5
}}

a8	b8	c8	d8	e8	f8	g8	h8
a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7
a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6
a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5
a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4
a3	b3	c3	d3	e3	f3	g3	h3
a2	b2	c2	d2	e2	f2	g2	h2
a1	b1	c1	d1	e1	f1	g1	h1

A

a8	b8	c8	d8	e8	f8	g8	h8
a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7
a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6
a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5
a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4
a3	b3	c3	d3	e3	f3	g3	h3
a2	b2	c2	d2	e2	f2	g2	h2
a1	b1	c1	d1	e1	f1	g1	h1

B

Position after 1.Nf3 e6 2.Ne5 Bc5

Different shaped board

Three-dimensional chess (Raumschach) – Template:Raumschach diagram

{{Raumschach diagram
| floatleft
|

|rd|nd|kd|nd|rd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  

|Nd|bd|qd|Nd|bd
|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  

|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  

|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|bl|Nl|ql|bl|Nl

|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|  |  |  |  |  
|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
|rl|nl|kl|nl|rl

| Raumschach starting position
}}

Ea5 black rook	Eb5 black knight	Ec5 black king	Ed5 black knight	Ee5 black rook
Ea4 black pawn	Eb4 black pawn	Ec4 black pawn	Ed4 black pawn	Ee4 black pawn
Ea3	Eb3	Ec3	Ed3	Ee3
Ea2	Eb2	Ec2	Ed2	Ee2
Ea1	Eb1	Ec1	Ed1	Ee1

E

Da5 N d	Db5 black bishop	Dc5 black queen	Dd5 N d	De5 black bishop
Da4 black pawn	Db4 black pawn	Dc4 black pawn	Dd4 black pawn	De4 black pawn
Da3	Db3	Dc3	Dd3	De3
Da2	Db2	Dc2	Dd2	De2
Da1	Db1	Dc1	Dd1	De1

D

Ca5	Cb5	Cc5	Cd5	Ce5
Ca4	Cb4	Cc4	Cd4	Ce4
Ca3	Cb3	Cc3	Cd3	Ce3
Ca2	Cb2	Cc2	Cd2	Ce2
Ca1	Cb1	Cc1	Cd1	Ce1

C

Ba5	Bb5	Bc5	Bd5	Be5
Ba4	Bb4	Bc4	Bd4	Be4
Ba3	Bb3	Bc3	Bd3	Be3
Ba2 white pawn	Bb2 white pawn	Bc2 white pawn	Bd2 white pawn	Be2 white pawn
Ba1 white bishop	Bb1 N l	Bc1 white queen	Bd1 white bishop	Be1 N l

B

Aa5	Ab5	Ac5	Ad5	Ae5
Aa4	Ab4	Ac4	Ad4	Ae4
Aa3	Ab3	Ac3	Ad3	Ae3
Aa2 white pawn	Ab2 white pawn	Ac2 white pawn	Ad2 white pawn	Ae2 white pawn
Aa1 white rook	Ab1 white knight	Ac1 white king	Ad1 white knight	Ae1 white rook

A

Raumschach starting position

Omega Chess – Template:Omega Chess diagram

{{Omega Chess diagram
|
| [[Omega Chess]] (10×10 + 4 corners)

|wd                              |wd
   |zd|rd|nd|bd|qd|kd|bd|nd|rd|zd
   |pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
   |zl|rl|nl|bl|ql|kl|bl|nl|rl|zl
|wl                              |wl

| Omega Chess starting position
}}

Omega Chess (10x10 + 4 corners)

w4 wd	^<W4 _A	_B	_C	_D	_E	_F	_G	_H	_I	^W3> _J	w3 wd
9	a9 zd	b9 rd	c9 nd	d9 bd	e9 qd	f9 kd	g9 bd	h9 nd	i9 rd	j9 zd	9
8	a8 pd	b8 pd	c8 pd	d8 pd	e8 pd	f8 pd	g8 pd	h8 pd	i8 pd	j8 pd	8
7	a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7	i7	j7	7
6	a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6	i6	j6	6
5	a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5	i5	j5	5
4	a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4	i4	j4	4
3	a3	b3	c3	d3	e3	f3	g3	h3	i3	j3	3
2	a2	b2	c2	d2	e2	f2	g2	h2	i2	j2	2
1	a1 pl	b1 pl	c1 pl	d1 pl	e1 pl	f1 pl	g1 pl	h1 pl	i1 pl	j1 pl	1
0	a0 zl	b0 rl	c0 nl	d0 bl	e0 ql	f0 kl	g0 bl	h0 nl	i0 rl	j0 zl	0
w1 wl	^A _<W1	^B	^C	^D	^E	^F	^G	^H	^I	^J _W2>	w2 wl

Omega Chess starting position

Tamerlane chess – Template:Tamerlane chess diagram

{{Tamerlane chess diagram
|
| [[Tamerlane chess]] (10×11 + 2 citadels)

   |ed|  |sd|  |md|  |md|  |sd|  |ed
|  |rd|nd|bd|Gd|gd|kd|qd|Gd|bd|nd|rd
   |pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd|pd
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  
   |pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl|pl
   |rl|nl|bl|Gl|ql|kl|gl|Gl|bl|nl|rl|  
   |el|  |sl|  |ml|  |ml|  |sl|  |el

| Tamerlane chess "masculine" array starting position – see [[Tamerlane chess]] for the other two arrays

}}

Tamerlane chess (10×11 + 2 citadels)

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

10

b9

d9

f9

h9

j9

10

9

x2

9

8

8

7

a6

b6

c6

d6

e6

f6

g6

h6

i6

j6

k6

7

6

a5

b5

c5

d5

e5

f5

g5

h5

i5

j5

k5

6

5

a4

b4

c4

d4

e4

f4

g4

h4

i4

j4

k4

5

4

a3

b3

c3

d3

e3

f3

g3

h3

i3

j3

k3

4

3

3

2

x1

2

1

b0

d0

f0

h0

j0

1

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

i

j

k

Tamerlane chess "masculine" array starting position – see Tamerlane chess for the other two arrays

Alternative way to place the pieces: FEN

{{Chess diagram|fen=rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR|align=floatleft}}

It is possible to populate the board using Forsyth–Edwards Notation, instead of positional parameters.

To do this, the "fen" parameter is used. For instance, this is the opening board of a chess game, defined using the "fen" parameter "rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR":

{{Chess diagram|fen=rnbqkbnr/acfghzwt/8/8/8/8/ACFGHZWT/RNBQKBNR|align=floatleft}}

It is also possible to show "fairy" pieces using the FEN notation. However, because the FEN notation uses uppercase and lowercase to denote the color of the piece, it is not possible to display the inverted knight fairy piece (denoted by "N") using the fen parameter. Here is a board where the pawns are replaced by fairy pieces:

While the "fen" parameter was first developed and tested with 8x8 boards, support for other sized boards is available. For example, here is the Grand Chess starting positiong represented with an FEN board:

{{Chess diagram 10x10
 |align=floatleft
 |fen=r8r/1nbqkcabn1/pppppppppp/10/10/10/10/PPPPPPPPPP/1NBQKCABN1/R8R
 |footer=[[Grand Chess]] starting position
}}

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j
10	a10 black rook	b10	c10	d10	e10	f10	g10	h10	i10	j10 black rook	10
9	a9	b9 black knight	c9 black bishop	d9 black queen	e9 black king	f9 black empress	g9 black princess	h9 black bishop	i9 black knight	j9	9
8	a8 black pawn	b8 black pawn	c8 black pawn	d8 black pawn	e8 black pawn	f8 black pawn	g8 black pawn	h8 black pawn	i8 black pawn	j8 black pawn	8
7	a7	b7	c7	d7	e7	f7	g7	h7	i7	j7	7
6	a6	b6	c6	d6	e6	f6	g6	h6	i6	j6	6
5	a5	b5	c5	d5	e5	f5	g5	h5	i5	j5	5
4	a4	b4	c4	d4	e4	f4	g4	h4	i4	j4	4
3	a3 white pawn	b3 white pawn	c3 white pawn	d3 white pawn	e3 white pawn	f3 white pawn	g3 white pawn	h3 white pawn	i3 white pawn	j3 white pawn	3
2	a2	b2 white knight	c2 white bishop	d2 white queen	e2 white king	f2 white empress	g2 white princess	h2 white bishop	i2 white knight	j2	2
1	a1 white rook	b1	c1	d1	e1	f1	g1	h1	i1	j1 white rook	1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h	i	j

Grand Chess starting position

Displaying the board from the Black's point of view

{{Chess diagram|fen=rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR|align=floatleft|reverse=true}}

The "reverse=true" parameter causes the board to be shown from Black's point of view, that is, with the h8 square at lower-left corner, and a1 at the upper-right. This works for all sizes of the normal chessboard template, but not for the Alice, Bughouse, Omega, or Raumschach templates. Here, the same FEN notation as in the previous example produces a board with Black's starting position at the bottom.

Alternative way to place the pieces: PGN

{{Chess diagram|pgn=1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.f3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.e4 Bg7 6.Ne2 O-O 7.Nec3 Nh5 8.Bg5 Bf6 9.Bxf6 exf6 10.Qd2 f5 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.g4 Re8+ 13.Kd1 Bxb1 14.Rxb1 Qf6 15.gxh5 Qxf3+ 16.Kc2 Qxh1 17.Qf2!|align=floatleft}}

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg a8 black rook b8 black knight e8 black rook g8 black king a7 black pawn b7 black pawn f7 black pawn h7 black pawn d6 black pawn g6 black pawn c5 black pawn d5 white pawn h5 white pawn c4 white pawn c3 white knight a2 white pawn b2 white pawn c2 white king f2 white queen h2 white pawn b1 white rook f1 white bishop h1 black queen								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

It is possible to populate the board using Portable Game Notation (PGN), instead of positional parameters or FEN. Internally, the PGN is converted to an FEN using Module:Pgn. The other parameters (align, reverse, etc) are also applicable when using PGN.

	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h
8	File:Chessboard480.svg b8 up-left arrow d8 up arrow f8 up-right arrow c7 up-left arrow d7 up arrow e7 up-right arrow a6 left arrow b6 left arrow c6 left arrow d6 white queen e6 right arrow f6 right arrow g6 right arrow h6 right arrow c5 down-left arrow d5 down arrow e5 down-right arrow b4 down-left arrow d4 down arrow f4 down-right arrow a3 down-left arrow d3 down arrow g3 down-right arrow d2 down arrow h2 down-right arrow d1 down arrow								8
7									7
6									6
5									5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	a	b	c	d	e	f	g	h

	h	g	f	e	d	c	b	a
1	File:Chessboard480.svg h1 white rook g1 white knight f1 white bishop e1 white king d1 white queen c1 white bishop b1 white knight a1 white rook h2 white pawn g2 white pawn f2 white pawn e2 white pawn d2 white pawn c2 white pawn b2 white pawn a2 white pawn h7 black pawn g7 black pawn f7 black pawn e7 black pawn d7 black pawn c7 black pawn b7 black pawn a7 black pawn h8 black rook g8 black knight f8 black bishop e8 black king d8 black queen c8 black bishop b8 black knight a8 black rook								1
2									2
3									3
4									4
5									5
6									6
7									7
8									8
	h	g	f	e	d	c	b	a