Why does Lichess say Error parsing PGN when the game looks fine?

Lichess uses a strict PGN parser. Text that looks valid in ChessBase, Chessable or Scid can still be rejected, most often because of null moves, commentary that is not inside braces, evaluation symbols attached to a move, unbalanced braces or parentheses, or a header tag whose value contains an unescaped quote. The moves themselves are usually correct; only the surrounding notation is malformed.

Can I fix a Lichess PGN parse error without translating the file?

Yes. The Fix for Lichess operation parses and rebuilds the PGN with no translation provider involved, so it is unlimited and does not consume any AI translation quota.

Will fixing the PGN change my moves or variations?

No. Move notation is preserved exactly as written, including variations, NAGs and PGN tags. Only the malformed syntax around the moves is repaired.

What does ERR_KINGS mean on Lichess?

ERR_KINGS means the starting position in the FEN tag does not contain exactly one king per side. That is an illegal position rather than a syntax problem, so a PGN repair tool cannot fix it. Correct the FEN tag or remove it.

Lichess imported the file but one game is missing. Why?

A single malformed game can stop a whole collection from importing, and some importers silently drop it. When a game cannot be repaired it is preserved in the output unchanged and listed in a downloadable failure log, so you can see exactly which game and which line caused the problem.

Chess PGN Translator › Fix Lichess PGN parse error

Fix Lichess PGN Parse Error

If Lichess refuses your file with "Error parsing PGN", the moves are almost always fine — something around them is not. The usual culprits are null moves (--, Z0), commentary that is not wrapped in braces, evaluation symbols glued to a move such as Qxc6++-, an unbalanced { or (, or a header tag containing an unescaped quote. Paste the file into Chess PGN Translator, run Fix for Lichess, and re-import the result.

Look up your exact error message

Different tools word the failure differently. Lichess reports its own message; if you validated the file elsewhere you may have seen a message from the underlying PGN parser instead. Both are listed here.

Error message	What is actually wrong	Fixed automatically?
`Error parsing PGN: expected: at line N, column N`	Frequently a header tag with no space between name and value, such as `[PlyCount"29"]`. The column number points at the quote.	Yes
`Expected "]" or whitespace`	An unescaped double quote inside a tag value, e.g. `[White "The "Question""]` or `[White ""Materialization" of a Rank"]`.	Yes
`Expected "\"" or whitespace but "2" found`	A header tag whose value runs across several lines, e.g. an Event name with a line break before `2...e5`.	Yes
`Expected [1-8] but "n" found`	Comment text leaking into move parsing, usually after an unbalanced brace earlier in the file.	Yes
`Expected … but "," found`	Prose punctuation left in the movetext outside a comment, e.g. `2. b3, {comment}` or `b5. {comment}`.	Yes
`Expected … but ")" found`	A NAG glued to a variation closer, such as `Rxg3 $11)`, or a variation that contains only a comment.	Yes
`end of input expected` / `Cannot parse moves`	The file is truncated, or the last game ends on a bare move number such as `76.` with no move after it.	Yes
Import fails on a null move, or `but "@" found`	A `--`, `Z0`, `@@` or `0000` placeholder move. Lichess has no notation for "this side does nothing", and strict parsers reject `@@` and `0000` outright.	Yes, converted to a comment
`ERR_KINGS`	The FEN tag describes a position without exactly one king per side. This is an illegal position, not a syntax error.	No — fix or remove the FEN tag

Malformed PGN this tool repairs

Each of these comes from a real course or database export that Lichess rejected:

Null moves — -- and Z0 become a comment so the line survives the import.
Attached evaluation glyphs — Qxc6++-, Qxg2+-+, Ng4++- are split into a check plus a proper NAG (Qxc6+ $18).
Unbraced commentary in the movetext — 6.Bg5! we are missing a resource is wrapped into a real comment instead of being parsed as moves.
Orphan closing braces — stray } in the movetext, e.g. 2. c3 } Nf6.
Nested braces inside comments — PGN comments cannot nest, so inner braces are converted to parentheses.
Missing black move numbers after a comment — }Qf1+!? becomes } 35...Qf1+!?.
Comments between sibling variations — moved inside the variation where the parser expects them.
Prose at the start of a variation — (An alternative is 8.Be3 becomes ({An alternative is} 8.Be3.
NAGs in the wrong place — Nxc6 {comment} $4 becomes Nxc6 $4 {comment}; $11) gets a separating space.
Broken header tags — missing space, multi-line values, and unescaped quotes inside a value.
Dangling move number at the end — 75...Kd3 76. is closed off properly.

A game that still cannot be repaired is kept in the output exactly as it was and reported in a downloadable failure log with its game number, Event name and players, so one bad game never costs you the rest of the file.

Fix my PGN

How to fix it, step by step

Open Chess PGN Translator.
Paste the PGN text, or upload the .pgn file.
Choose Fix for Lichess. This parses and rebuilds the file with no translation, so it is unlimited and uses no AI quota.
If the file contains null moves, also enable Convert null moves.
Download the cleaned PGN and import it into your Lichess study again.

Large collections can also be split into 64-game parts, which is the size Lichess studies accept per chapter batch.

What this cannot fix

ERR_KINGS and other illegal positions. A FEN without exactly one king per side is rejected on chess grounds, not syntax. Correct the FEN tag.
Genuinely illegal moves. If a move cannot be played in the position, no amount of syntax repair will help.

Frequently asked questions

Why does Lichess reject a file that ChessBase or Chessable opens fine?

Those programs are forgiving and repair quietly as they read. Lichess uses a strict parser and stops at the first token it cannot account for. The file was never fully valid PGN; it just had a lenient reader.

Will my moves, variations or comments change?

No. Move notation is written back exactly as it appeared, along with variations, NAGs and PGN tags. Only the malformed syntax around the moves is repaired.

Is there a file size or game limit?

The repair operations are unlimited — the beta character cap applies only to AI comment translation. Multi-megabyte course files with hundreds of games are handled in one pass.

Do I need an account?

No. Paste a PGN and run the repair.

Related guides

Lichess null move PGN fixer — --, Z0, @@ and 0000 explained.

Online PGN parse error fixer — clean, split and repair PGN files without translation.

Last updated 10 September 2026.