Answers.Body: <p>It's not common (I've never heard of it), and it's certainly not an official notation.  Without further information, I have no idea why the chess master would have accepted the strange notation.  Perhaps he didn't think it worthwhile to argue at the time.</p>
  <p>Edit: as <a href="https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/1077/is-it-common-to-reverse-the-rank-and-file-in-chess-notation#comment1065_1077">Tony Ennis</a> notes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi#Game_notation" rel="nofollow noreferrer">the notation for shogi</a> is quite similar to what you are describing.</p>
  <blockquote>
  <p>The method used in English-language texts to express shogi moves was established by George Hodges in 1976. It is derived from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algebraic_chess_notation" rel="nofollow noreferrer">algebraic notation used for chess</a>, but differs in several respects. It is not used in Japanese-language texts, as it is no more concise than kanji.</p>
  <p>A typical move might be notated <strong>P-8f</strong>. The first letter represents the piece moved: P for Pawn. (There is also <strong>L</strong> lance, <strong>N</strong> knight, <strong>S</strong> silver, <strong>G</strong> gold, <strong>B</strong> bishop, <strong>R</strong> rook, <strong>K</strong> king, as above.) Promoted pieces are indicated by a + in <em>front of</em> the letter: <strong>+P</strong> is a tokin (promoted pawn).</p>
  <p>[...] For example, the start of a game might look like this:</p>
  </blockquote>
  <pre><code>1. P-7f   2. P-3d
  3. P-2f   4. G-3b
  5. P-2e   6. Bx8h+
  7. Sx8h   8. S-2b
  </code></pre>
  <p>Perhaps that is what the child was thinking of.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-07-21T00:08:40.427Z
Answers.Text: George Hodges sold me my first Shogi set!  It was pre-internet. I had to send a check to a major bank in NY (the state in which I lived) who sent me back British Pound notes.  These I mailed to George!  The set is excellent.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-07-21T00:13:16.193Z
Answers.Text: One thing missing from the notation sample above is "*".  `G*3b` means 'A Gold general that's in-hand parachutes onto square 3b'!
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2012-07-20T20:23:21.080Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2012-07-20T23:26:15.270Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2020-06-17T09:59:59.497Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Daniel
Body: <p>I was watching an episode of Sesame Street that had to do with playing chess.  In a short film, there is a chess master that was going over some moves with school kids and I remember one of the kids said something like <code>7f Queen</code> to <code>3g</code>.  This threw me off because the rank and file were reversed.  I am used to hearing <code>Qf7</code> to <code>g3</code>.  Is reversing the rank and file common or is this more of an isolated incident?</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-07-20T19:50:38.293Z
Comments.Text: I'd say it was something particular to that kid. I've never heard that way of speaking algebraic notation before. Perhaps fan of Star Wars he is?
Comments.UserDisplayName: Robert Kaucher
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-07-20T19:58:06.680Z
Comments.Text: @RobertKaucher - Then I wonder why the Chess master would allow it.  To me that should be something that is corrected so he/she would be consistent with other players.
Comments.UserDisplayName: xaisoft
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-07-20T20:22:29.987Z
Comments.Text: How did you know it was a chessmaster?  Which episode was it?  (I'm afraid I don't really know anything about Sesame Street.)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Daniel
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-07-20T20:23:28.093Z
Comments.Text: As a parent and former teacher, there are some battles that are not worth the fight.One of my friend's kids said "fisk" until he was about 5 and when he was corrected "Honey, it's fish," he would get upset and yell, "That's what I'm saying!" Not being important to the lesson, I'd let it slide and the kid will eventually conform to what the instructor and other students are saying.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Robert Kaucher
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-07-20T22:07:48.943Z
Comments.Text: Was the kid Japanese?  Shogi uses a notation that's reversed from chess.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-08-12T15:43:28.800Z
Comments.Text: Whoever down-voted? Care to explain?
Comments.UserDisplayName: xaisoft
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2012-08-25T22:50:59.003Z
Comments.Text: @xaisoft Yoda felt offended by your question, my guess is
Comments.UserDisplayName: ajax333221
Tags: <notation>
Title: Is it common to reverse the rank and file in chess notation?
ThreadText: # Is it common to reverse the rank and file in chess notation?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2012-07-20)
  
  I was watching an episode of Sesame Street that had to do with playing chess. In a short film, there is a chess master that was going over some moves with school kids and I remember one of the kids said something like `7f Queen` to `3g`. This threw me off because the rank and file were reversed. I am used to hearing `Qf7` to `g3`. Is reversing the rank and file common or is this more of an isolated incident?
  
  **Tags:** notation
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: I'd say it was something particular to that kid. I've never heard that way of speaking algebraic notation before. Perhaps fan of Star Wars he is?  
  > **username_0**: @username_1 - Then I wonder why the Chess master would allow it.  To me that should be something that is corrected so he/she would be consistent with other players.  
  > **username_2**: How did you know it was a chessmaster?  Which episode was it?  (I'm afraid I don't really know anything about Sesame Street.)  
  > **username_1**: As a parent and former teacher, there are some battles that are not worth the fight.One of my friend's kids said "fisk" until he was about 5 and when he was corrected "Honey, it's fish," he would get upset and yell, "That's what I'm saying!" Not being important to the lesson, I'd let it slide and the kid will eventually conform to what the instructor and other students are saying.  
  > **username_3**: Was the kid Japanese?  Shogi uses a notation that's reversed from chess.  
  > **username_0**: Whoever down-voted? Care to explain?  
  > **username_4**: @username_0 Yoda felt offended by your question, my guess is  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2012-07-20. Score: 5 | Accepted answer
  
  It's not common (I've never heard of it), and it's certainly not an official notation. Without further information, I have no idea why the chess master would have accepted the strange notation. Perhaps he didn't think it worthwhile to argue at the time.
  
  Edit: as [username_3 username_3](https://chess.stackexchange.com/questions/1077/is-it-common-to-reverse-the-rank-and-file-in-chess-notation#comment1065_1077) notes, [the notation for shogi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shogi#Game_notation) is quite similar to what you are describing.
  
  > The method used in English-language texts to express shogi moves was established by George Hodges in 1976. It is derived from the [algebraic notation used for chess](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Algebraic_chess_notation), but differs in several respects. It is not used in Japanese-language texts, as it is no more concise than kanji.
  >
  > A typical move might be notated **P-8f**. The first letter represents the piece moved: P for Pawn. (There is also **L** lance, **N** knight, **S** silver, **G** gold, **B** bishop, **R** rook, **K** king, as above.) Promoted pieces are indicated by a + in *front of* the letter: **+P** is a tokin (promoted pawn).
  >
  > [...] For example, the start of a game might look like this:
  
  ```
  1. P-7f   2. P-3d
  3. P-2f   4. G-3b
  5. P-2e   6. Bx8h+
  7. Sx8h   8. S-2b
  
  ```
  
  Perhaps that is what the child was thinking of.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_3**: George Hodges sold me my first Shogi set!  It was pre-internet. I had to send a check to a major bank in NY (the state in which I lived) who sent me back British Pound notes.  These I mailed to George!  The set is excellent.  
  > **username_3**: One thing missing from the notation sample above is "*".  `G*3b` means 'A Gold general that's in-hand parachutes onto square 3b'!  
  
  ---
  
  