What Is a PGN?
A PGN (Portable Game Notation) is the standard plain-text format that records a chess game — its moves and a few tags — in a way any chess app can read.
A PGN stores a whole game as readable text: a header of tags, then the moves in algebraic notation. Paste one into the free game review (or skip it and import by username) to get a full analysis.
What a PGN looks like
A short example — tags in brackets, then the moves and result:
[Event "Casual Game"] [White "You"] [Black "Opponent"] [Result "1-0"] 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 1-0
The tags describe the game; 1. e4 e5 and so on are the moves. A move can carry a clock comment like {[%clk 0:09:58]}, which the review reads to show each player’s time.
How to get your PGN
From Chess.com
Open the game → Share → PGN, and copy. Or just type your Chess.com username on the home page and choose the game — no copying needed.
From Lichess
Open the game and use the share/download menu to copy the PGN, or enter your Lichess username on the home page and pick the game.
Using it here
Paste the PGN on the home page and run the review, or set up a position on the analysis board. New terms? The glossary has them.
Frequently asked questions
What does PGN stand for?
Portable Game Notation. It’s the standard plain-text format for recording a chess game — the moves plus tags like the players, event, date, and result.
How do I get a PGN from Chess.com?
Open the game, choose Share, then the PGN tab, and copy it. On Chessda you can skip this entirely by typing your Chess.com username and picking the game.
How do I get a PGN from Lichess?
Open the game and use the download/share menu to copy the PGN, or just enter your Lichess username on Chessda and choose the game from the list.
Is my PGN uploaded anywhere?
No. PGNs you paste are parsed and analysed locally in your browser — nothing is sent to a server.