Image to FEN Converter

How to convert a chess image to FEN

Upload a photo or screenshot of the board, crop it to the 64 squares, and copy the FEN. The whole conversion takes seconds.

1. 01

   Upload an image

   Choose, drop or paste a photo or screenshot of a chessboard. JPG, PNG and WebP all work.

2. 02

   Crop to the board

   Drag the square so it covers just the 64 squares, with no coordinates, borders or move list inside it.

3. 03

   Copy your FEN

   The FEN appears with a board preview to check it. Set the side to move, flip the board if needed, and copy.

What is FEN?

FEN (Forsyth–Edwards Notation) describes a chess position in one line of text, so any chess app or engine can load it. This is the starting position:

rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1

A FEN has six fields, separated by spaces:

Piece placement rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR

The eight ranks from rank 8 down to rank 1, separated by slashes. Uppercase letters are White's pieces, lowercase are Black's, and a digit counts empty squares.

Side to move w

w when White is to move, b when Black is.

Castling rights KQkq

K and Q for White castling kingside and queenside, k and q for Black, or - when neither side can castle.

En passant square -

The square behind a pawn that just advanced two squares, or - when there is none.

Halfmove clock 0

Moves since the last capture or pawn move, used for the fifty-move rule.

Fullmove number 1

Starts at 1 and goes up by one after each Black move.

Tips for an accurate scan

The converter is most accurate on a tight, straight-on crop of a clearly lit board.

• Crop tight to the 64 squares, leaving out the board's edge, coordinates and any move list.
• Screenshots of a 2D digital board give the most accurate results.
• For a physical board, take the photo straight down from above, in even light.
• Avoid glare, deep shadows and pieces cut off at the edge of the crop.

What a picture can't tell

An image shows where the pieces stand, but not whose turn it is, which castling rights remain, or whether en passant is possible. The converter defaults to White to move with no castling or en passant, and reads the board from White's side. Switch the side to move or flip the board before you copy the FEN.

Questions and answers