What is MIME type "application/vnd.chess-pgn"?

A MIME type is a string that tells browsers and other tools how to handle a particular kind of file.

application/vnd.chess-pgn is a MIME type for files that hold chess game records in the PGN (Portable Game Notation) format. It marks plain text files that store game moves and related metadata in an easily readable format.
This makes it simple to share and analyze chess games.

Main use case:

Chess Game Records: Exchange chess moves and game details between applications and online platforms.

Other uses and key facts:

Game Archiving: Preserve historical or impressive games in a standardized text format.
Game Analysis: Serve as input data for chess engines and review tools.
Sharing: Easily distribute games in forums, emails, or web pages.

Files using this MIME type are identified by the extension PGN.
Many chess programs support this format.

Learn more at Wikipedia.

Associated file extensions

.pgn

Usage Examples

HTTP Header

When serving content with this MIME type, set the Content-Type header:


    Content-Type: application/vnd.chess-pgn

HTML

In HTML, you can specify the MIME type in various elements:


    <a href="file.dat" type="application/vnd.chess-pgn">Download file</a>

Server-side (Node.js)

Setting the Content-Type header in Node.js:


    const http = require('http');    
    
    http.createServer((req, res) => {    
      res.setHeader('Content-Type', 'application/vnd.chess-pgn');    
      res.end('Content here');    
    }).listen(3000);

Associated file extensions

.pgn

FAQs

How do I configure my web server to serve PGN files correctly?

You need to map the .pgn extension to the correct MIME type in your server configuration. For Apache, add AddType application/vnd.chess-pgn .pgn to your .htaccess file. For Nginx, add application/vnd.chess-pgn pgn; inside your mime.types file or types block.

Can web browsers display PGN files natively as a chess board?

No, standard web browsers do not have built-in chess engines or board visualizations. If you navigate directly to a PGN file, the browser will either download it or display the raw text. To show a board, you must use a JavaScript library or an embeddable viewer.

What is the difference between application/vnd.chess-pgn and text/plain?

Although PGN files contain human-readable text, using application/vnd.chess-pgn helps the operating system identify the file as a chess record. This ensures it opens in a chess application (like ChessBase or SCID) rather than a generic text editor like Notepad.

How do I open a file with the .pgn extension?

You can open .pgn files with dedicated chess software, such as Fritz, Arena, or online analysis tools like Lichess. Since the format is plain text, you can also view the move history using any text editor. See more details on the PGN extension page.

Are PGN files safe to open?

Yes, PGN files are essentially plain text files that list game moves and metadata. They do not contain executable code, making them generally safe. However, always keep your chess software updated to avoid issues with parsing malformed data.

Why does the MIME type include vnd?

The vnd prefix stands for vendor-specific or distinct ecosystem standards. It indicates that application/vnd.chess-pgn is a specialized format for chess applications, distinguishing it from generic text or binary data.

What should I do if my browser downloads the PGN file instead of opening it?

This is often the default behavior. If you want the file to be viewed in the browser as text, you may need to adjust the Content-Disposition header to inline. However, for a graphical board, you must embed the file into an HTML page using a PGN viewer script.

General FAQ

What is a MIME type?

A MIME (Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions) type is a standard that indicates the nature and format of a document, file, or assortment of bytes. MIME types are defined and standardized in IETF's RFC 6838.

MIME types are important because they help browsers and servers understand how to process a file. When a browser receives a file from a server, it uses the MIME type to determine how to display or handle the content, whether it's an image to display, a PDF to open in a viewer, or a video to play.

MIME types consist of a type and a subtype, separated by a slash (e.g., text/html, image/jpeg, application/pdf). Some MIME types also include optional parameters.

How do I find the MIME type for a file?

You can check the file extension or use a file identification tool such as file --mime-type on the command line. Many programming languages also provide libraries to detect MIME types.

Why are multiple MIME types listed for one extension?

Different applications and historical conventions may use alternative MIME identifiers for the same kind of file. Showing them all helps ensure compatibility across systems.