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Two marks appended to the same position after a move, one of which ends the game.
A plus means the king is attacked and must be answered; a hash means it is attacked and cannot be. Only the hash ends the game, and older publications write it as ++ instead.
One plus means check, which the opponent can answer. The hash means checkmate, which ends the game. Reading one as the other reverses the result.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | Check symbol (+) | Checkmate symbol (#) |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | crosses, lines and dots | lines and dots |
| Lines | 2 | 4 |
| Symmetry | radial | point |
| Orientation | orientation independent | upright |
| Check symbol (+) | Checkmate symbol (#) | |
|---|---|---|
| What it records | The move gives check | The move gives checkmate |
| Game state | Continues; the opponent must answer | Over at that move |
| Written as | + | # — or ++ in older and continental publishing |
| Defined by | The FIDE Laws of Chess | The FIDE Laws of Chess |
| How to tell them apart | One stroke crossing another | Two strokes crossing two |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Checkmate symbol (#) — One plus means check, which the opponent can answer. The hash means checkmate, which ends the game. Reading one as the other reverses the result. | Commonly confused with Check symbol (+) — The plus sign means the king is attacked and must be defended; the hash means it is attacked and cannot be. Only the second ends the game. |
FIDE Laws of Chess, Appendix C: Algebraic Notation
Fédération Internationale des Échecs (FIDE) · retrieved 2026-08-02
The governing body's own handbook. Authoritative for the notation FIDE requires in competition — the piece letters, the capture and check marks, castling — and for nothing outside it. Annotation symbols expressing an opinion about a move are deliberately absent from the Laws and are not cited here.
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-08-02
Tertiary reference. Cited for how a mark is written and read in ordinary practice, and for conventions no governing body issues. Never cited for a claim that a rule says something — the rulebooks below carry those.
Both arms sweeping forward means play continues and no kick is coming. One arm straight up means a kick is coming and cannot score directly. Confusing them changes whether players expect a stoppage.
The plain black flag excludes the competitor: their race is over. The black flag with an orange disc reports a mechanical problem that endangers others and sends the driver to the pits to have it fixed, after which they may rejoin. Both are shown with a number board, both are black, and confusing them costs a competitor a race they could have finished.
A cross means all ten pins fell to the first ball; a forward slash means it took two. The cross carries two deliveries of bonus and the slash only one, which is why three strikes are needed for a frame to reach thirty.
The exclamation mark praises a move, the question mark criticises it. Neither is defined by FIDE: unlike the rest of chess notation these are publishing convention, and two annotators may disagree about the same move.