Editing Chess problem (section)

==Abbreviations==
For reasons of space and internationality, various abbreviations are often used in chess problem journals to indicate a problem's stipulation (whether it is a mate in two, helpmate in four, or whatever). The most common are:

* <nowiki>"#"</nowiki> abbreviates ''checkmate''
* "=" abbreviates ''stalemate'' (occasionally "''p''", standing for "''pat''", the French for stalemate, is used instead)
* "h" abbreviates ''helpmate''
* "s" abbreviates ''selfmate''
* "r" abbreviates ''reflexmate''
* "ser-" abbreviates ''series''

These are combined with a number to indicate in how many moves the goal must be achieved. "#3", therefore, indicates a mate in three, while "ser-h=14" indicates a series help stalemate in 14 (i.e., Black makes 14 moves in a row such that White can subsequently make one move to deliver stalemate).

In studies, the symbols "+" and "=" are used to indicate "White to play and win" and "White to play and draw" respectively.