Chess notation in a polycode text (based on the German language)

Abstract

Chess literature is a type of specialized literature with its own metalanguage and tradition of presenting material. The study focuses on the structure of works by Z. Tarrasch and A. Nimzowitsch, which can be viewed as multimodal polycode texts, combining natural language with chess notation, a symbolic system used to record the moves of a chess game. In addition to notation, symbols for evaluating moves play an important role in the texts in question, as well as verbal commentaries explaining what is happening on the board and diagrams visualizing the position on the board at a certain moment in the game. If a fragment of a chess game is presented, the diagram serves as an indication of the initial arrangement of pieces. Thus, the subsequent symbolic notation of moves becomes meaningful only in connection with the diagram. In other cases, the diagrams focus the reader’s attention on the key points of a game. In the digital world, new means for presenting chess games and comments are used. In the e-versions of the books in question, the reader can play the moves of a game on a digital board. At the same time, the structure of the source text undergoes changes: it is divided into blocks, the elements of the notation are presented as hyperlinks, font changes are used, and structural elements are added. In some cases, the specifics of the text requires its additional adaptation to the electronic format.