Chapter 1 - Image Notation
I know from my own experience what an excruciating labour it is to memorise “theory” before a game. You have it all written down in notebooks, you have gone through it ten times before starting play, and still you can’t remember it.
— IM and Chess Trainer Mark Dvoretsky
The essence of a chess memory palace is (1) to convert the chess moves into a series of memorable images, then (2) memorise the images, (3) in a branching structure.
In Chapter 2 we will learn how to memorise images, and in Chapter 3 we will learn how to structure them in a branching layout. But first, we need a system to convert chess moves into images.
Therefore this chapter introduces Image Notation, a system for writing chess moves as “picture words”, which will be easy to memorise using the techniques of Chapter 2.
Algebraic Notation defines a move using the piece that moves, the file of the target square and the rank of the target square. For example, Na4 is the knight (N) to the a-file (a) and 4th rank (4). We will see that Image Notation works the same way. A combination of initial sound and number of syllables gives the piece that moves; the first consonant sound gives the file of the target square; and the second consonant sound gives the rank of the target square.
For example, we will see that dragon means Na4: it is a two-syllable picture word, which means a Knight move; the first consonant sound is /d/ which gives the a-file, and the second consonant sound is /r/ which gives the 4th rank.
The piece
We identify the piece to move using a combination of the first sound of the picture word and the number of syllables.
- ♔ King moves start with a /p/ or /b/ sound.
- ♕ Queen moves start with a /s/ sound.
- ♙ Pawn moves have one syllable (and do not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound).
- ♘ Knight moves have two syllables (and do not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound).
- ♗ Bishop moves have three syllables (and do not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound).
- ♖ Rook moves have four syllables (and do not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound).
Here are four examples of each:
- ♔ Baguette, brain, potato and pyjamas are all King moves. They start with a /p/ or /b/ sound.
- ♕ Sardine, statue, cymbal and cereal are all Queen moves. They start with a /s/ sound.
- ♙ Heart, wolf, shark and shell are all Pawn moves. They have one syllable (and do not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound).
- ♘ Robot, phoenix, lychee and Viking are all Knight moves. They have two syllables (and do not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound).
- ♗ Woodpecker, unicorn, lollipop and alpaca are all Bishop moves. They have three syllables (and do not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound).
- ♖ Kookaburra, helicopter, meteorite and orangutan are all Rook moves. They have four syllables (and do not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound).
Note that we use sound, not spelling. Sound is easier than spelling to do in your head, at the board.
Cymbal and cereal start with a soft c — that is, a /s/ sound — so they are Queen moves. Whereas shark and shell start with a /sh/ sound, not a /s/ sound, so they are not Queen moves. Similarly, phoenix starts with a /f/ sound, so it is not a King move, despite being spelt with a p.
The target square
The first two relevant consonant sounds of the picture word give us the file and rank of the target square, using the mapping below.
| Consonant Sound | If First (File) | If Second (Rank) |
|---|---|---|
| d, t, th | a-file | 1st rank |
| n | b-file | 2nd rank |
| m | c-file | 3rd rank |
| r | d-file | 4th rank |
| l | e-file | 5th rank |
| ch, j, tch, sh | f-file | 6th rank |
| hard c, g, k, ng | g-file | 7th rank |
| f, v | h-file | 8th rank |
| soft c, s, z, b, p, h, w, y | No meaning, ignore | No meaning, ignore |
You need to memorise the mapping above! But rest assured, this is the only thing you need to rote memorise in the Chess Memory Palace system. Everything else will be creative memorisation.
You can memorise these sound-coordinate mappings any way you like. But here are some suggestions for how I would remember it:
- d and t are tall letters, like a 1.
- n has two downstrokes.
- m has three downstrokes.
- Capital R looks a bit like a backwards 4.
- I think of the phrase “five alive” which contains a /l/ sound.
- To me, the ch/j/tch/sh sounds feel “soft”, which matches the curved 6 shape.
- To me, g/k feel “hard”, which matches the angular 7 shape.
- A calligraphic f looks a bit like an 8.
Once you have learnt the mappings, it is very easy to translate a picture word into a target square. The first relevant consonant sound gives the file. The second relevant consonant sound gives the rank. (Note: I often say “relevant consonant sound”, because we ignore the consonant sounds that have no meaning.)
For example, alpaca is a (bishop) move to e7. The first consonant sound is /l/, which gives the e-file. We ignore the /p/. The second relevant consonant sound is /k/, which gives the 7th rank.
Robot is a (knight) move to d1. The first consonant sound is /r/, which gives the d-file. We ignore the /b/. The second relevant consonant sound is /t/, which gives the 1st rank.
We will see more detailed examples in the next section.
Combining piece and target square
Now, when you are presented with a picture word, you should be able to identify the piece and the target square. In almost all cases (except disambiguations, which we will cover shortly), this is enough information to play the move.
Let’s see some examples, starting with two simple cases:
- Ram is a pawn move to d3. It is a one-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a pawn move. The first consonant sound is /r/ which gives the d-file. The second consonant sound is /m/ which gives the 3rd rank.
- Mir (the Soviet/Russian space station) is a pawn move to c4. It is a one-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a pawn move. The first consonant sound is /m/ which gives the c-file. The second consonant sound is /r/ which gives the 4th rank.
Why is ram d3 but Mir c4? Because of the order of the consonant sounds. The first relevant consonant sound is always the file, the second relevant consonant sound is always the rank.
Here are two more simple examples, to highlight the difference between first consonant sound (file) and second consonant sound (rank):
- Coach is a pawn move to g6. It is a one-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a pawn move. The first consonant sound is /k/ which gives the g-file. The second consonant sound is /ch/ which gives the 6th rank.
- Chick is a pawn move to f7. It is a one-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a pawn move. The first consonant sound is /ch/ which gives the f-file. The second consonant sound is /k/ which gives the 7th rank.
Again we see that the first relevant consonant sound is always the file, the second relevant consonant sound is always the rank. So /k/ followed by /ch/ (coach) is g6, while /ch/ followed by /k/ (chick) is f7.
So far in this section we have seen only pawn moves (one syllable). Here are two simple picture words with the knight (two syllables) and bishop (three syllables):
- Fairy is Nh4. It is a two-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a knight move. The first consonant sound is /f/ which gives the h-file. The second consonant sound is /r/ which gives the 4th rank.
- Koala is Bg5. It is a three-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a bishop move. The first consonant sound is /k/ which gives the g-file. The second consonant sound is /l/ which gives the 5th rank.
If the picture word has more than two consonant sounds, we still only use the first two relevant consonant sounds. The rest of the word is irrelevant to identifying the target square. For example:
- Tent is a pawn move to a2. It is a one-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a pawn move. The first consonant sound is /t/ which gives the a-file. The second consonant sound is /n/ which gives the 2nd rank. Ignore any further consonant sounds, because we already know the target square.
- Machine is Nc6. It is a two-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a knight move. The first consonant sound is /m/ which gives the c-file. The second consonant sound is /sh/ which gives the 6th rank. Ignore any further consonant sounds, because we already know the target square.
- Elephant is Be8. It is a three-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a bishop move. The first consonant sound is /l/ which gives the e-file. The second consonant sound is /f/ which gives the 8th rank. Ignore any further consonant sounds, because we already know the target square.
- Rhododendron is Rd1. It is a four-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a rook move. The first consonant sound is /r/ which gives the d-file. The second consonant sound is /d/ which gives the 1st rank. Ignore any further consonant sounds, because we already know the target square.
When finding the target square, we ignore all the consonant sounds that have no meaning. Here are some examples containing /s/, /p/ and /b/.
- Stone is Qa2. The initial /s/ tells us this is a queen move. To find the target square, the /s/ has no meaning, so the first relevant consonant sound is /t/ which gives the a-file. The second relevant consonant sound is /n/ which gives the 2nd rank.
- Sunflower is Qb8. The initial /s/ tells us this is a queen move. The first relevant consonant sound is /n/ which gives the b-file. The second relevant consonant sound is /f/ which gives the 8th rank.
- Barbarian is Kd4. The initial /b/ tells us this is a king move. Finding the target square, the /b/ has no meaning, so the first relevant consonant sound is /r/ which gives the d-file. The next consonant sound is /b/ again, so again we ignore it. The second relevant consonant sound is /r/, which gives the 4th rank.
- Pineapple is Kb5. The initial /p/ tells us this is a king move. The first relevant consonant sound is /n/ which gives the b-file. The next consonant sound is /p/, so again we ignore it. The second relevant consonant sound is /l/, which gives the 5th rank.
And here are some examples containing /h/ and /w/, which are also consonant sounds that we can ignore, because they contain no meaning when finding the target square:
- Walrus is Ne4. It is a two-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a knight move. We ignore the /w/ sound. So the first relevant consonant sound is /l/ which gives the e-file. The second relevant consonant sound is /r/ which gives the 4th rank.
- Hedgehog is Nf7. It is a two-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a knight move. We ignore the /h/ sound. The first relevant consonant sound is /j/ (the dg, which makes the sound of a “j”), which gives the f-file. We then have another /h/ sound, which we ignore. The second relevant consonant sound is /g/, which gives the 7th rank.
Finally, remember that we use sound, not spelling. Because English spelling is not always regular, sometimes this makes a difference. Here are some examples of words containing silent letters. But remember, at the board you just need to sound out the word, you don’t need to know how it is spelled.
- Gnome is a pawn move to b3. It is a one-syllable picture word that does not start with a /p/, /b/ or /s/ sound, so it is a pawn move. The g is silent, so the first consonant sound is /n/ which gives the b-file. The second consonant sound is /m/ which gives the 3rd rank.
- Salmon is Qc2. The initial /s/ tells us this is a queen move. The /s/ has no meaning when finding the target square, and the l is silent. So the first relevant consonant sound is /m/ which gives the c-file. The second relevant consonant sound is /n/ which gives the 2nd rank.
Once you have got used to the syllable and sound rules, understanding Image Notation should be just as easy as Algebraic Notation.
Captures and checks
Image Notation does not have any special notation for a capture, check or checkmate. They are still simply defined by the piece and the target square.
So, for example, skyscraper is a queen move to g7. (The initial /s/ tells us this is a queen move, the first and second relevant consonant sounds are both /k/, giving the g-file and 7th rank.) Skyscraper always means a queen move to g7, regardless of whether it is making a capture, delivering a check or delivering a checkmate. Qg7, Qxg7, Qg7+ and Qg7# (and any other such combination) are all skyscraper.
The first two moves from each player of the mainline Scandinavian Defence are lore, earl; earl, cereal: 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5. Both pawn moves to d5 are written earl, even though Black’s 1…d5 is a normal two-square pawn move and White’s 2.exd5 is a capture. Black’s move cereal (starting with a /s/ sound for a queen move) is 2…Qxd5, again with no special notation for the capture.
En passant
There is also no special notation for an en passant capture. It is just a pawn move.
For example, in the position below White has just played roar (11.d2-d4). In Chapter 4 we will see that theory is for Black to respond sapphire (11…Qh4+). However Black could legally play the blunder ram instead (11…exd3 en passant).
In the Opocensky Variation of the Najdorf Sicilian, White targets the hole on b6. If Black tries to break with nail (…b7-b5), in one variation we reach the position below. White can play winch, which is axb6 en passant.
Disambiguations
What if more than one of the same piece can move to the target square? This can happen with the rooks, knights and pawns (for a capture). Barring promotions, it cannot happen with the bishops or queen, because bishops run on opposite colour squares, and there is only one queen. It can never happen with the king of course, because there is only one king.
Algebraic Notation handles disambiguations by specifying the file of the piece that moves (e.g. Rad1). If the pieces share a file, it specifies the rank of the piece that moves (e.g. R1d4).
Image Notation is similar. We will use an “image transformation” to specify when the piece that moves is on a file closer to the kingside. If the two pieces share a file, our image transformation will specify when the piece is further from the back rank.
First, label the two candidate pieces Piece I and Piece II, starting from the queenside (White’s left, Black’s right). If the pieces share a file, then the piece closest to the back rank (1st rank for White, 8th rank for Black) is Piece I, and the more advanced piece is Piece II.
If Piece I moves, we do not do anything to the image. We just use the picture word as normal. If Piece II moves, we encase the image in ice.
In the diagram above, both White knights can move to c7. The knight on a8 is Piece I, because it is towards the queenside (to White’s left). The knight on e6 is Piece II, because it is towards the kingside (White’s right). So, magpie is Nac7. Magpie encased in ice is Nec7. In your memory palace, you would imagine a frozen magpie, or a magpie stuck in an ice cube.
Both White pawns can move to g4 (as a capture). The pawn on f3 is Piece I, because it is closer to the queenside (to White’s left). The pawn on h3 is Piece II, because it is towards the kingside. So, crab is fxg4. Crab encased in ice is hxg4.
Both White rooks can move to d2 and d3. They share a file, so we can’t ask which is closer to the queenside. Instead, we ask which is closer to the back rank. The rook on d1 is further back, so this is Piece I. The rook on d4 is further forward, so this is Piece II. Rhinoceros is R1d2. Rhinoceros encased in ice is R4d2. Armadillo is R1d3. Armadillo encased in ice is R4d3.
In the diagram above, both Black rooks can move to d7, e7 and f7. The rook on c7 is Piece I, because it is further towards the queenside (to Black’s right). The rook on g7 is Piece II, because it is further towards the kingside (Black’s left). So, orangutan is …Rcd7. (Note the /ng/ sound is the 7th rank.) Orangutan encased in ice is …Rgd7. Helicopter is …Rce7. Helicopter encased in ice is …Rge7. Washing machine is …Rcf7 (again note the /ng/ sound is the 7th rank). Washing machine encased in ice is …Rgf7.
Both Black pawns can move to f4 (as a capture). The pawn on e5 is Piece I, because it is closer to the queenside (to Black’s right). So, shark is …exf4. Shark encased in ice is …gxf4.
Both Black knights can move to a4 and c4. They share a file, so we can’t ask which is closer to the queenside. Instead, we ask which is closer to the back rank. The knight on b6 is further back from Black’s perspective, so this is Piece I. The knight on b2 is further forward, so this is Piece II. Dragon is …N6a4. Dragon encased in ice is …N2a4. Meerkat is …N6c4. Meerkat encased in ice is …N2c4.
Disambiguations: alternative methods
The method described above is my recommendation for disambiguations. It is a simple twist on standard Image Notation, and it minimises memory workload by making no transformation for Piece I. If you are happy with it, skip this section. But here, I want to briefly note a couple of alternative options.
First, you can also transform the image for Piece I, such as covering the image in sticky oil. For example, in the diagram with White to move, R1d2 would be rhinoceros covered in sticky oil, R1d3 would be armadillo covered in sticky oil. R4d2 remains rhinoceros encased in ice, and R4d3 remains armadillo encased in ice.
This is not my primary recommendation, because it requires more memory work: you have to transform more images, instead of just leaving Piece I moves as the simple untransformed picture words. However, some people may find it more reliable at the board, because it is possible that under stress you do not notice that two pieces can both move to the target square, and hastily pick up Piece II, before noticing Piece I was an option. You may also second-guess yourself, for example you may remember a rhinoceros, and wonder if you should really move Piece I, or whether you just forgot to encase the image in ice during your preparation. My recommendation is to keep Piece I as the simple untransformed image, and only begin transforming Piece I (covering your picture words in sticky oil) if you find this is a problem in practice.
Second, an entirely different method is possible. If you are particularly keen to keep exactly one picture word for each move, without image transformations, then you can do this with an extra set of 14 picture words and some more complicated interpretation at the board. Please refer to the Notes section if you want to try this.
Castling
Castling is simply a king move to g1, c1, g8 or c8. So, White’s O-O is baguette, White’s O-O-O is behemoth, Black’s O-O is Bigfoot, and Black’s O-O-O is B-movie.
Note that if the king has already moved, and can now move normally one square to g1, c1, g8 or c8, then the picture words are the same. So for example, Kg2-g1 is also baguette, and …Kg7-g8 is also Bigfoot.
Picture word pairs
By now you will have noticed that I often introduce picture words in pairs. This is because chess moves come in pairs: “If Black plays chariot, I will reply alpaca.” Conveniently, this also makes the picture words easier to remember (Chapter 2).
When combining two picture words into a pair, we want to preserve the move order. The first picture word should do an action to the second picture word, or use the second picture word as a tool. In other words, the first picture word is more active, the second picture word more passive. The first picture word should also be physically higher in the scene. If you look back at the illustrations in this chapter of picture word pairs, you will see that they follow these move order rules. See also the figure below.
Figure: Structure of a picture word pair.
For example, in the position below from the King’s Indian Defence, play usually continues 6…e5 and 7.d5. In Image Notation, this can be a court jester (lol) playing tricks on an earl.
Learning a repertoire from White’s point of view, every picture word pair contains Black’s move followed by White’s reply. So, the jester (lol) playing a trick on an earl is Black’s …e5 followed by White’s d5.
If, instead, the picture word pair showed an earl slicing a jester (lol) in half with a sword, then the earl would be the more active half of the image, and this would therefore represent Black’s …d5 followed by White’s e5.
Let’s see an example from Black’s point of view. When memorising a repertoire for Black, each move pair contains White’s move followed by Black’s reply.
In the position below from the Stonewall Attack, play can continue 9.Ne5 Bf5. In Image Notation, this can be a lily covering a jellyfish. The lily is higher in the scene and doing the action to the jellyfish, so the lily is the first picture word (White’s move), while the jellyfish is the second picture word (Black’s reply).
A different composite image, a jellyfish stinging a lily, would be 9.Bf5 Ne5. Now the jellyfish is higher in the scene and active, so it is your opponent’s move (White’s in this case), while the lily is lower and passive, so it is your (Black’s) reply.
It is useful to memorise picture word pairs in the right order, because this will make translation easier when at the board. However, if you get the order mixed up, it is very rare for the resulting moves to be legal, and even rarer for them to make sense. I had to work quite hard to find the examples above, and in both cases if you recalled the picture words in the wrong order in the pair, then the resulting pair of chess moves is not logical.
Finally, note that when a picture word pair contains two of the same picture word, you don’t need to worry about role (active versus passive) and position (higher versus lower), because the order is reversible. For example, a pawn exchange on d5 might be represented by the picture words earl earl. “An earl fighting another earl” would be a fine picture word pair.
Moving on
In this chapter, we have discussed Image Notation in one direction: converting a picture word (alpaca) into a chess move (…Be7). You need to do this in your head, at the board.
You do not need to convert chess moves into Image Notation in your head. You can do this at leisure sitting at home, with full use of the Appendix, where I have listed picture words for all 384 moves (6 pieces x 64 squares).
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. We will start designing memory palaces in Chapter 3. First we need to learn how to memorise the picture words, using the powerful techniques of memory competitors. On to Chapter 2!