In chess, annotation symbols are used to indicate the current position on the board. Symbols are placed after the given move in chess notation. These symbols are used in writing chess notation and can also be used in pgn files. Below is a table of all of the symbols used.
The table below gives an overview of these symbols. These symbols are placed at the end of a move.
| To indicate Positions or Conditions | |
| = | The position is equal |
| += | White has a slight advantage |
| =+ | Black has a small advantage |
| +/- | White has a clear advantage |
| -/+ | Black has a clear advantage |
| +- | White has a winning advantage |
| -+ | Black has a winning advantage |
| ? | The position is unclear |
| # | Checkmate |
| + | Check |
| ++ | Double check |
| To indicate how good the move was | |
| ! | Good move |
| !! | Brilliant move, also called Excellent move, or difficult to find move |
| ? | Bad move |
| ?? | Blunder |
| !? | Interesting move |
| ?! | Dubious move |
You’ll see these symbols used in chess books, in pgn files, and when playing chess online.