Three steps to FEN
- Add a board image. Take a photo on your phone, select one from the gallery, or paste a screenshot on a computer.
- Check the position. All 64 squares and pieces should match your image. If the board is viewed from Black's side, it is shown that way; you can flip it. Set whose turn it is separately.
- Tap “Copy FEN.” The button sits beside the board controls. Paste the resulting string into a position editor or save it with your analysis.
Start on the From Board home page. Your photo remains on your device because recognition runs in the browser.
What the notation looks like
Here is the standard starting position in FEN:
rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq - 0 1The first field describes the pieces rank by rank. The remaining fields record the side to move, castling rights, en passant square, and move counters.
FEN records a position, not the sequence of moves played. To share an exact game history, use PGN instead.
What a photo cannot tell you
A photo shows pieces on squares, but it cannot reliably tell whether the king or rooks moved earlier, whether castling is still legal, or whether the last move was a two-square pawn advance. The move number is not visible on the board either. The tool therefore infers some FEN fields; check them in a position editor before relying on them for serious analysis.
If you want the best move from this photo, first make sure the side to move is correct. A single incorrect field can change the result.
How to capture the board clearly
Keep the entire board, including its corners, in the image. Avoid strong screen glare and shoot as straight as possible so interface elements do not hide pieces. For a digital game, a screenshot is usually more reliable than a monitor photo. If the result is wrong, try a sharper image or take another picture.