My conversation with ChatGPT on this:

What is the best way to prompt you to provide the best chess move?

To prompt me to provide the best chess move, you can provide the current position of the chessboard and any relevant information about the game, such as whose turn it is, the time control, and any important features of the position (e.g. whether any pieces are under attack or there are any potential tactics to consider). Additionally, providing any specific criteria or goals for the move, such as aiming to control the center or launch an attack on a particular part of the board, can also help me provide the best move.

In what format should I provide the current position?

To provide the current position, you can use algebraic notation. Algebraic notation is a standard notation used to describe the moves and positions on a chessboard.

Each square on the chessboard is assigned a unique coordinate, consisting of a letter and a number. The letters range from "a" to "h" and refer to the files (columns) of the board, while the numbers range from 1 to 8 and refer to the ranks (rows) of the board.

To describe a position, you can list the pieces on each square, starting from the top-left corner of the board and moving from left to right along each rank. You can use uppercase letters to represent white pieces and lowercase letters to represent black pieces. Here is an example of a starting position:

rnbqkbnr
pppppppp
........
........
........
........
PPPPPPPP
RNBQKBNR

In this position, "r" represents a black rook, "n" represents a black knight, "b" represents a black bishop, "q" represents a black queen, "k" represents a black king, "p" represents a black pawn, "R" represents a white rook, "N" represents a white knight, "B" represents a white bishop, "Q" represents a white queen, "K" represents a white king, and "." represents an empty square.

You can also include additional information such as whose turn it is to move, the castling rights, and the en passant square. For example, the starting position for white to move with full castling rights and no en passant square would be:

rnbqkbnr
pppppppp
........
........
........
........
PPPPPPPP
RNBQKBNR
w KQkq -

In this case, "w" indicates that it is white's turn to move, "KQkq" indicates that both sides have full castling rights, and "-" indicates that there is no en passant square.

What about just providing a sequence of moves from the starting position? Would this be better or worse than your suggested approach?

Providing a sequence of moves from the starting position can also be a valid way to specify a position in chess. However, it may not always be the best approach, depending on the context.

One potential disadvantage of providing a sequence of moves is that it requires more effort and time to enter the moves and verify that the position is correct. Additionally, if there are any errors or typos in the sequence, it could lead to an incorrect position and subsequently an incorrect move suggestion.

On the other hand, if you have a specific position in mind that is not the starting position, providing a sequence of moves may be the most straightforward way to specify it. In this case, it is important to ensure that the sequence is accurate and that all relevant information (such as castling rights and en passant squares) is included.

In summary, both algebraic notation and a sequence of moves can be used to specify a position in chess, and the choice between them depends on the context and the specific needs of the situation.