Figure 2-12: Movement of the pawn
Figure 2-13: Pawn capture
A Fancy Capture – Pawns can also take other pawns in a different way. It is called en passant. En passant is French for “in passing.” Here’s how it happens:
1. White’s pawn has moved forward three squares, to the fifth rank.
Figure 2-14
2. One of Black’s pawns, on its first move, goes forward two squares and ends up on the fifth rank, on the file next to White’s pawn.
Figure 2-15: White can move into the square shown by the arrow, and take Black’s pawn.
3. White moves forward diagonally and takes Black’s pawn as if the pawn had only moved forward one square!
Figure 2-16
Other en passant rules:
1 Both Black and White can capture en passant.
2 Only pawns – not pieces – can capture or be captured en passant.
3 The pawn can only be captured after its first move, and it must be captured right away. This is a limited-time offer!
One thing you should remember is that many casual chess players don’t even know about this move. It’s a strange one. There is a good chance that at some point you will be playing against someone who has never heard of en passant. So don’t be surprised if they accuse you of making what they think is an illegal move. If you have my book handy, show them this page and be sure to tell them that I’m a trained professional!
Up For Promotion – Pawns are weak most of the time, but down the road they can become very powerful. How? If the pawn can make it all the way to the last rank, he gets a promotion. You can now choose between 4 pieces to turn him into: a Rook, a Bishop, a Knight or a Queen (you can’t turn him into a King, and he can’t stay as a pawn). Once he’s promoted, he stays promoted until the end of the game. Pawn promotion is also called Queening, because you’ll almost always want to turn him into a Queen. After all, she is the most powerful piece. There are rare moments when you might want to promote to a Knight, and even rarer moments when you’ll want to promote to a Rook or Bishop, but that’s usually only done by advanced players. Stick to Queening for now.
Here’s how to promote a pawn:
1 First, get your pawn to the last rank. (This is easier said than done!)
2 If your opponent has captured your Queen, take the pawn off the board and ask for your lady back. Now, put her where your pawn was.
3 If your opponent has not captured your Queen, have him give back one of your captured Rooks. Then turn the Rook upside down and place it on the board.
4 If your opponent hasn’t captured your Queen or either of your Rooks, tip the pawn over and lay him down on his side.
5 If you want to promote your pawn into a Knight, Rook, or Bishop instead, replace him with one of your captured Knights, Rooks, or Bishops. If none have been captured, tip the pawn on his side.
A Complicated Man – A lot of beginning players don’t like the pawn because of how little he can do and how strange he is when it comes to moving and capturing (especially en passant). Doesn’t seem worth the trouble, does it?
Take it from an expert: You’ll learn to appreciate your pawns. Sometimes just one pawn will make the difference between winning and losing.
Try not to look at what a pawn is; look at him for what he can be. A pawn has more potential than any other piece. He’s got to go through a lot to get there, but if you manage to get a pawn Queened, there’s a good chance that the game will turn in your favor.
Quick Review
King – Moves one square in any direction.
Queen – Moves any number of squares in straight lines along ranks and files, or along diagonals.
Rook – Moves any number of squares in straight lines along ranks and files.
Bishop – Moves any number of squares, only along diagonals.
Knight – Moves three squares in an “L” shape. One, two, turn!
Pawn – Moves one or two squares straight ahead on the first move, and only one square straight ahead on all following moves. Cannot move backward or side-to-side, and may only move diagonally when capturing. Can capture “en passant” if the conditions are right, and may be promoted to a Queen, Knight, Rook or Bishop if he makes it to the last rank.
Castling
There is one other chess move, called castling, which involves moving both the King and the Rook. This is the only move in chess where two chess pieces are moved at the same time. And it’s extremely valuable to know!
Remember that the King is the most important person on the battlefield, and that he must be kept safe no matter what the cost. That’s the idea behind castling. What you’re doing is taking him out of the open and placing him closer to the side of the board, where it’s harder for enemy pieces to get to him. Plus, it gets him behind the Rook, and under his guard. Here are the rules of castling:
1 Castling counts as one move and to do it, it must be your turn. Announce to your opponent that you are castling by saying “I castle” or “I’m castling.”
2 Both the King and the Rook must stay in their starting squares until you castle. If you’ve moved either of them at all, castling is no longer allowed.
3 The two squares between the King and the Rook must be empty; in other words, the King’s Knight and King’s Bishop need to be moved out of their squares first.
4 The King must not be in the path of an enemy piece before or after he castles, and neither of the two open squares between the Rook and the King can be in the path of an enemy piece.
If you can make the move without breaking any of those rules, you’re ready to castle. Here’s how it’s done:
1 Have the King walk two steps to the right toward his Rook. They should now be standing next to each other.
2 Take the Rook and have him jump to the left, over the King! The Rook lands in the square next to him.
Try it now. Remember, the King goes two steps to the right and the Rook jumps over him. Say it out loud:
One, Two, Jump!
Figure 2-17: Start castling (One, Two...)
Figure 2-18: Finish! (Jump!)
This move is called King’s Side castling, sometimes called “castling short.” But you can also do a Queen’s Side castle (“castling long”). The rules are the same, except that the Queen, the Queen’s Bishop and the Queen’s Knight must move out of their squares before you do it, leaving three open squares between the King and the Queen’s Rook. Here’s how to castle on the Queen’s side:
1 The King takes two steps – but this time it’s to the left, toward the Queen’s