Letter #48 -  2010

Sub:    PGN files question
Date:   11/13/10  07:30:24 PM EDT
From:  Jansen
To:      service@Chess-poster.com

Hello,

I have noted that in some of your pgn files there are many games played by a player named as “NN”.

This can easily be seen in the Paul Morphy pgn files page from at least 25 games showing “Paul Morphy vs. NN”.

Do you know the meaning of the letters NN?

Thank you for your excellent site.
R. Jansen

Dear viewer,

The abbreviation 'NN' is short for “Nomen Nescio” where Nomen: Name, and Nescire: Not to know. Is a Latin phrase meaning 'name unknown' and has been commonly used for the given name of an unknown person.

It is customary to write it up in the scoring of Chess games when an untitled player faces a master such as in a simultaneous exhibition, and/or when one participant’s name is genuinely unknown.

Thank you for visiting us,
chess-poster.com