Chess PGN Translator › Online PGN parse error fixer
Online PGN Parse Error Fixer
Chess databases are forgiving readers; importers such as Lichess are not. A file that opens perfectly in ChessBase or Chessable can still be rejected as invalid PGN. This tool parses the file, repairs the malformed syntax around the moves, and writes it back — move notation is never altered. Free, no account, and no size limit on repairs.
What it repairs
| Problem | Example from a real export |
|---|---|
| Null moves | 2. Nf3 -- 3. Bb5 |
| Evaluation glyphs attached to a move | Qxc6++-, Ng4++-, Kc3–+ |
| Commentary outside braces | 6.Bg5! we are missing a resource |
| Orphan closing brace | 2. c3 } Nf6 |
| Nested braces in a comment | { ... ({see} 1.Ra6?) ... } |
| Missing black move number after a comment | }Qf1+!? |
| Comment between sibling variations | ) { Best defence } ( |
| Prose opening a variation | (An alternative is 8.Be3 |
| NAG in the wrong position | Rxg3 $11), Nxc6 {comment} $4 |
| Broken header tag | [PlyCount"29"], [White "The "Question""] |
| Prose punctuation in the movetext | 2. b3, {comment} |
| Dangling move number at the end | 75...Kd3 76. |
Operations that need no translation
These are PGN-only operations. They run entirely on the file, use no translation provider, and are not subject to the AI beta character cap:
- Fix for Lichess — parse and rebuild the file so a strict importer accepts it.
- Convert null moves — turn
--andZ0into comments. - Split collection — break a large file into 64-game parts.
- Remove comments — strip annotations and keep a clean move-only file.
- Merge games — fold several games that share an opening into one chapter, with the others as variations.
They compose, so a single pass can repair, convert null moves and split a course collection at once.
What happens to a game it cannot repair
It is kept in the output exactly as it was — never silently dropped — and reported in a downloadable failure log listing the game number, Event name, both players and the parser's own reason. That tells you precisely which game to look at instead of leaving you to bisect a multi-megabyte file by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free, and do I need an account?
All repair operations are free and unlimited, with no sign-in. Only AI comment translation has a character cap during the beta.
Are my files stored?
Repairs are processed to return your file. Translation history is kept only for signed-in accounts; using the repair tools anonymously does not create one.
Which programs' exports does this handle?
The repairs were built against real ChessBase, Chessable and Scid exports, plus course files that failed to import into Lichess studies. Those four are the common sources of malformed PGN.
Can I preview the games before downloading?
Yes — the built-in PGN viewer plays through games with variations, comments and engine analysis.
Related guides
Fix Lichess PGN parse error — look up your exact error message.
Lichess null move fixer — --, Z0, @@ and 0000 explained.
Last updated 10 September 2026.