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A double exclamation mark marking an exceptional move.
Also known as: Double exclamation, Brilliancy mark
Two exclamation marks are the strongest praise in chess annotation — reserved for a move that is both excellent and hard to see, often a sacrifice whose point emerges several moves later.
Marks a move the annotator considers exceptional, typically one that is both strong and difficult to find. A publishing convention, not a rule of the game.
Two exclamation marks side by side, each a vertical stroke above a dot, written after the move.
Doubling intensifies whichever mark is doubled: !! is the highest praise, ?? the harshest criticism. Reading one for the other inverts the annotator's verdict entirely.
The doubled form is the stronger grade of the same praise.