Nomen nescio (/ˈnoː.men ˈnes.ki.oː/), IPA pronounced [ˈnoː.mɛ̃ nɛsˈkɪ.oː] abbreviated to N.N., is used to signify an anonymous or unnamed person. From Latin nomen, name, and nescio, I do not know (from nescire, not to know), it literally means, I do not know the name. "N. N." is commonly used in the scoring of chess games, not only when one participant's name is genuinely unknown but when an untitled player faces a master, as in a simultaneous exhibition. Another reason is to protect a known player from the insult of a painful defeat.