Need a clean picture of a chess position for a blog post, a lesson slide or a printable worksheet? Paste a FEN into our FEN to image converter, then download a PNG.

What is a FEN?

FEN (Forsyth–Edwards Notation) is a single line of text that describes a position. The starting position looks like this:

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

It has six fields:

  1. Piece placement, rank 8 to rank 1, separated by /. Uppercase is White, lowercase is Black, and digits count empty squares.
  2. Side to move: w or b.
  3. Castling rights: KQkq, or - if none.
  4. En passant square, or -.
  5. Half-move clock for the fifty-move rule.
  6. Full-move number.

Our converter only needs the first field to draw the board.

Where to find FENs

  • In Lichess and Chess.com, use the "copy FEN" option in the analysis board.
  • Chess software shows the FEN of the current position.
  • Puzzle books and lesson notes often include them.

Build the position visually

You do not need a FEN to start. In the studio, drag pieces to set up the position, or pick a piece and click squares to place it, then erase, flip the board, and set the side to move, castling rights and en passant square. A live validity check warns about impossible positions (missing kings, pawns on the back rank and so on). Draw arrows and highlight squares in four colours to show the idea you want to teach.

Customise your diagram

  • Flip the board to show Black's point of view, ideal for defensive puzzles.
  • Coordinates can be turned off for a cleaner look.
  • Pick light and dark square colours to match your website or printout.
  • Set the size up to 2000 pixels for sharp prints.

Then use Download PNG or Copy image and paste it straight into a document. Prefer a link? Save & get share link gives you a public page, an SVG image URL and ready-made HTML and Markdown embed code. Signed-in users also get a gallery of saved diagrams to edit later.

Ideas for coaches and writers

  • Build a one-page tactics worksheet: one diagram per puzzle and space for the answer.
  • Illustrate an opening article with the key position after move 6.
  • Make flashcards for endgames such as Lucena and Philidor.

Need the FEN of a game moment first? Clean up and sort your games with the PGN tools, or practise tactics with the puzzle trainer.