PGN to PDF
Free tool · No account needed
Runs in your browser. Nothing is uploaded.
Paste a PGN and the game is set as a printed game score: the players and event across the top, the moves in columns, and board diagrams at the points you choose. Print it, or pick Save as PDF in the print dialog to keep the file. Because it goes through the browser’s own printer, the moves stay as selectable text and the diagrams stay as vectors, so the PDF is sharp at any zoom and small enough to email. PGN is the plain-text chess game format—see what is PGN if you need a primer before you paste.
How to save a game as a PDF
- 1.
Paste the PGN, or open a .pgn file.
- 2.
Choose two or three columns, where diagrams should appear, and the paper size.
- 3.
Press Print. In the dialog that opens, set the destination to Save as PDF.
- 4.
Everything except the page itself is left out of the print, so the file starts at the game score.
What this tool does
A game score, not a screenshot
The moves are text and the diagrams are vector drawings, so the file prints cleanly and can be searched and copied from.
Diagrams where you want them
Final position only, every ten moves, every twenty, or none at all. Each diagram tints the squares the move touched.
A4 or Letter
The page is set for either, with margins that keep the columns off the edge on a home printer.
Two or three columns
Two columns for a game with notes to add by hand, three to fit a long game on a single sheet.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the download button?
There is no separate download: the print dialog is the download. Choose Save as PDF as the destination and pick where the file goes. This produces a smaller, sharper file than generating a PDF in the page would.
Can I print several games at once?
One game per sheet, and a multi-game PGN puts a selector above the box so you can move between them. Print each one in turn.
Can I print a blank scoresheet instead?
Yes, the printable scoresheets tool has layouts for different time controls, with space for the event, round and player names.
Will the moves be selectable in the PDF?
Yes. The game score is real text, so it can be searched, copied and read by a screen reader. A PDF made from a screenshot cannot do any of that.
Does it print the comments and variations in my PGN?
No. The layout is the game score: the moves that were played, with the tags and the result. Comments, variations and annotation symbols are left out to keep the sheet readable on paper.
Is the game on a paper scoresheet? Scan it into PGN instead of typing it.
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Going the other way, from paper to PGN
ScanChess reads a photographed scoresheet into a validated PGN. New accounts get free credits, no card required.