What does dxc4 mean?
dxc4 means a pawn on the d-file captures the piece standing on c4. The move breaks into three parts: d is the file the pawn came from, x means a capture, and c4 is the square it ends on.
If White played it the pawn was on d3; if Black played it the pawn was on d5. Pawns capture diagonally forward, so there is only one square it can have come from once you know whose move it was.
Why the lowercase d?
Every piece has an uppercase letter — K for king, Q for queen, R for rook, B for bishop, N for knight. The pawn has none. So a move that opens with a lowercase letter is always a pawn, which is what separates dxc4 from Nxc4.
A pawn pushing forward is written as just its destination — d4 — because only one pawn could have made that move. A capture is different: two pawns on neighbouring files can both reach the same square, so the file it started from is written to say which one moved.
The rest of the notation
d4A pawn moves to d4. No letter means a pawn; no x means nothing was taken.
dxc4The pawn on the d-file captures whatever is on c4.
Nxc4A knight captures on c4. N is used for the knight because K is the king.
Nbd2The knight on the b-file moves to d2 — written this way when both knights could.
Qh5+The queen moves to h5 and gives check.
Qxf7#The queen captures on f7 and it is checkmate.
O-OCastling kingside. Queenside is O-O-O.
e8=QA pawn reaches e8 and promotes to a queen.
exd6 e.p.An en passant capture — the pawn lands on d6 having taken a pawn that passed on d5.
Common questions
What does dxc4 mean in chess?
A pawn on the d-file captures the piece standing on c4. The lowercase letter at the front is the file the pawn came from, x means a capture, and c4 is the square it lands on.
Why does the move start with a lowercase letter?
Every piece except the pawn gets an uppercase letter — K, Q, R, B, N. A move with no uppercase letter is a pawn move, so dxc4 is a pawn and Nxc4 is a knight.
Why write the file for a pawn capture but not a normal pawn move?
A pawn moving forward can only have come from one square, so d4 is unambiguous. A capture is diagonal and two different pawns could reach the same square, so the origin file is written to say which one.
Where was the pawn before dxc4?
On d3 if White played it, or d5 if Black did. Pawns capture diagonally forward, so the capturing pawn is always one rank behind the target square from its own point of view.
Why this site is called dxc4
It is a capture — a small, sharp move that changes the position. Short enough to be a domain, and recognisable to anyone who reads a game.
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