En passant

En passant: what is it

En passant is a special rule for pawns. If an opponent's pawn jumps two squares on its first move and lands next to your pawn, your pawn can capture it as if it had moved only one square.

Your pawn goes to the square the opponent's pawn passed over, and the opponent's pawn is removed from the board. The rule exists so that a pawn cannot just slip past an enemy pawn with a two-square move and escape capture.

When you can capture en passant: three conditions

  1. Your pawn is on the 5th rank (for Black, on the 4th).
  2. An opponent's pawn on a neighboring file has just moved two squares at once and landed next to your pawn.
  3. You must capture right away, on the very next move. If you make another move, the right to take that pawn en passant is gone.
Important: en passant is only a pawn capturing a pawn. Pieces cannot capture this way, and a pawn that came up by one square cannot be taken en passant.

How en passant is written

Like a normal pawn capture: exd6. Sometimes e.p. is added (from the French en passant, "in passing"): exd6 e.p.

Common mistakes

  • Capturing a move later. If the opponent played d7-d5 and you made another move, you can no longer take the d5 pawn en passant.
  • Confusing it with a one-square move. If the pawn went d6-d5, it cannot be taken en passant.
  • Forgetting that the opponent can capture this way too. Your pawn that jumps two squares past their pawn can also be taken.
  • Not seeing that the capture opens a line. Two pawns disappear from the rank at once, and a rook or queen can then go along it (example 3).

Examples

Try it yourself: make a move on the board. If you get stuck, press "Show solution".

1. White captures en passant

Black has just played d7-d5: the pawn jumped two squares past the e5 pawn.

Black has just played d7-d5: the pawn jumped two squares and landed next to the white pawn on e5.

Take it en passant: the e5 pawn goes to d6, the square the d-pawn passed over. You can only do this right now.

Solution: 1.exd6 - the e5 pawn moved to d6, and the black d5 pawn was removed from the board, as if it had played d7-d6.

2. Black can do it too

White has just played e2-e4: the pawn jumped two squares past the d4 pawn.

White played e2-e4, and their pawn passed by the black pawn on d4.

Black captures en passant: the d4 pawn goes to e3. The rule is the same for Black, only their pawn must be on the 4th rank.

Solution: 1...dxe3 - the black pawn moved to e3, and the white e4 pawn was removed from the board.

3. Mate by capturing en passant

Black has just played g7-g5: the pawn jumped two squares and blocked the 5th rank.

Black played g7-g5 and blocked the 5th rank from the rook on e5 with the pawn.

Find mate in one move. Hint: capturing en passant removes two pawns from the rank at once. There are no other mates in this position.

Solution: 1.fxg6# - mate: both pawns have left the 5th rank, and the rook on e5 checks the king on h5. The rook on e4 covers the g4 and h4 squares, and the king on h7 covers the h6 square and the g6 pawn.

Practice

The "En passant" topic of the short course for beginners has a video lesson and puzzles on the board.

Remember the main thing: a pawn that jumps two squares past your pawn is captured as if it had moved one square, and only right away.