Mastering En Passant in Chess: A Step-by-Step Guide

Curious about the mysterious chess move known as en passant?

We will explore what en passant is, how to perform it, and the rules surrounding this unique maneuver.

Discover the benefits of using en passant in your strategy, common mistakes to avoid, and how en passant can enhance your chess skills.

Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned player, en passant is a valuable tool to add to your chess repertoire. Let’s dive in and unravel the secrets of en passant!

What Is En Passant in Chess?

En passant is a special chess move associated with pawn play. Rule 3.7b of the FIDE laws of chess defines en passant as follows. When a pawn advances two squares from its starting position and there is an opponent’s pawn on the square next to the destination square on the same file, then the opponent’s pawn may capture it en passant on the next move. En passant is a French term meaning in passing or on the way. En passant can only be done one move after the opponent plays the pawn move that could have been stopped with en passant. In Chess.com, en passant is automatically selected for you to use if such a move is possible, while in Lichess you need to click the two squares the opposing player’s pawn plays to capture.

How to Perform En Passant?

To perform en passant in chess, a player must capture an opponent’s pawn that has moved two spaces directly sideways past the first-rank opponent’s pawn without the opportunity to capture that opponent’s pawn en passant disappearing as a result of other piece moves. The player performs en passant by moving directly to the square that the opposing pawn just passed when it took two steps on the first move. The player then removes the opponent’s offending pawn.

Identify the Opportunity for En Passant

In the game of chess, en passant capture rewards alert play against a double advance on the a-file. Both you and your opponent need to be aware when that comes up, as there is only one opportunity to capture en passant – in the next move following the two-step pawn advance. Alertness must be shown by two elements:

1. The player making the two-square pawn move must announce confidently right away that the two-step advance has been made.
2. Similarly, the player whose pawns are attacked en passant must announce their intent to use the en passant capture on the next move.

If the player making the two-square advance does not announce the possibility of an en passant response on the following move, then they forfeit their right to capture using the en passant rule.

Move the Pawn Forward Two Squares

Instead of letting en passant occur in chess the next turn after a player has the ability, they can simply preempt the special rule. This is done by moving a pawn two squares forward to create tension on the board. Not blocking with the other pawn as it captures en passant is not a legal move and can be replayed.

You must get both sides of either player’s pawns out of each other’s way and willingly bring on losses for each other. Giving up entire pieces and entire sequences of moves is how chess can be played if one needs to avoid losing their current status by the enemy pawn moving two spaces past them and then killing them. It changes the entire Israeli Defense system, because you’re simply just recognizing in grand master chess that you are going to lose each other’s state. Negate all of your abilities, negate all of your capabilities, and then just start from scratch. Duncanlin, a YouTuber who makes chess tutorials, explains that a player just simply does not need to move forward the next turn after they have the ability.

Capture the Opponent’s Pawn

Keep in mind these en passant rules. Following an opponent’s two-square first move, end your two-square first move by moving your piece forward and directly in line on the adjacent file. Capture the opponent’s pawn while following the rules of castling (you cannot have legally moved your king or rook during the game).

If the player executing en passant is the king when castling is allowed, they may make the move as the last move to castle with the addition of en passant privileges. Do not move a pawn and declare it is en passant without needing to do so. Moving the pawn to capture en passant is an additional pawn movement legality that is not required. Any player may accept or reject en passant pawn exchanges without explanation.

What Are the Rules of En Passant?

The rules of en passant in chess are the following:

1. Conditions for en passant are only met when a pawn advances two cells from its starting square and passes to one at its side where an enemy pawn of the opponent’s army could have captured it, had this possibility been exercised immediately.
2. The opportunity to capture the pawn en passant is one which can only occur once during an eligible move. Once the move is played, further attempts to capture that pawn en passant are no longer legal.
3. If a player plays on without notifying the opponent of a legal en passant claim at the appropriate time, they lose the right to capture en passant that turn and the move stands. The right to capture en passant is lost and the game continues.

The Opportunity Must Be Taken Immediately

En Passant is a chess rule that must be used immediately after the opportunity presents itself. Declaring a future intention to utilize en passant as a defensive or motivational move is not permissible in regulation international chess or tournament chess. According to the United States Chess Federation rules: This capture can only be made on the move immediately following the double-step pawn advance, otherwise, the right to capture the two-square advanced pawn ‘en passant’ is lost. (source: uschess.org/*/en-passant)

The Opponent’s Pawn Must Be on Its Starting Square

The opponent’s pawn must be on its starting square for en passant to be possible. If the opponent’s pawn has moved from its starting square but is then advanced two squares, it does not trigger the en passant capture. So if Black’s pawn is on Black’s 3rd rank and moves to Black’s 5th rank, it is still on Black’s initial square.

Conversely, if a Black pawn starts on Black’s 3rd rank and the player is side-stepping them to where one pawn is on C6 and the next is on the E6 square and the White pawn moves to the D5 square, en passant capture is still not allowed at this point because the two-square move isn’t done on the pawn’s initial square. The situation in which pawns wait on their initial squares before entering their battles isn’t terribly common, which makes situations of en passant fairly rare in the game of chess as a whole.

Here is an example of a Black en passant move created in the Get Better At Chess Analysis Tool for users to experiment with their own en passant challenges. The en passant opportunity can be seen in the last move to e5.

The Pawn Must Be Able to Capture Normally

The pawn that is moving forward two squares to trigger the en passant move must be able to capture other pawns per standard rules in the same book of the FIDE handbook.

If the pawn had a legal possibility to make a shorter move and take another piece instead (which would be an illegal double pawn move), en passant cannot make that move legal. Therefore, the move and capture must be within the legal rules and bounds of a normal move by a pawn the FIDE rules are followed. If the pawn unable to legally make the standard move and capture, a player cannot try to make an en passant move.

What Are the Benefits of En Passant?

The benefits of en passant are the ability to defend against a pawn that seems like it is breaking through your lines (as illustrated by the diagram below). If you see an opposing pawn moving quickly that closes the critical file for your own pieces, consider leaving them in the ‘en passant range’ for that opponent on the next move.

Wojciech Gajda in chess reddit criticism of en passant exercise (2.7.2015).

Creates an Advantage for the Player

If used appropriately, the en passant rule creates an advantage for the player who has that piece available as they are playing a long end-game. Advantages are listed based on variations and are referred to as static and dynamic advantages.

Why is the en passant rule advantageous? The advantage gained by the player by capturing a pawn via the en passant rule is tempo or dynamic advantage. Time increases in value when there are only a few pieces left on the board and the value of each pawn is magnified because there are fewer other pieces to capture. Taking advantage of the en passant rule allows for a quicker development of a pawn so that it can be used to wreak havoc in the opponent’s positions quickly.

Can Help Defend Against an Opponent’s Pawn

Performing en passant can be strategic during gameplay as it can help defend against an opponent’s pawn. In the following diagram, we see a scenario in which the white pawn on d5 captures by en passant which is the only time it can capture as it has moved two squares and landed next to an opposing pawn. If the white pawn moves to d6, black will then move the opposing pawn to capsure it en passant.

The practical benefit of this is that getting rid of the pawn can help open up gameplay for the player doing en passant, enabling them greater mobility for other pieces, while also reducing their opponent’s mobility as they no longer have a pawn in that file. However, the tactic is rarely played so far as this property indicates and is still relatively rare since pawning to prevent the en passant capture is a standard defensive manoeuvre executed by the opponent leaving the original pawn in place.

What Are the Common Mistakes in En Passant?

The most common mistakes in en passant fall into four groups.

1. Not seeing the en passant option and missing the opportunity to capture the pawn.

2. Failing to realize en passant rules apply and moving while overlooking how to catch it properly. Inversely capturing a pawn by en passant when you’re not supposed to (as both friendly and enemy pawns must be positioned in the fifth rank).

3. Making the en passant capture and moving your capturing pawn to a square not reachable in a future turn.

4. Wrongly moving en passant pawn out of double pawn formation and wrongly moving into an opponent’s strong protected square.

Missing the Opportunity

En passant is defined as a special movement or capture strategy conferred to pawns during which an opponent’s pawn of the same color is passed over during movement as though it were not there. On the two moves when an en passant capture can be made, the two pawns are legally captured as though they had stopped in speech on the square which the enemy pawn’s movement carried it past, according to FIDE Official Handbook.

An algebraic notation will be used to describe an en passant move in this step-by-step illustration of an en passant move.

White makes the first move by moving Pa2 → a4.

Black moves Pb7 → b5 to avoid any future en passant captures based on white’s second move. Black has a good turn to get his pawns moving in the middle which is the primary strategy of the game, but they can also play Qa7 → a5.

Finally, white does move P a4 → a5. White’s choice of moving this pawn was due to the desire to utilize the available vicious going-forward part of the board and push the pawn to create pressure on Black’s kingside. Black’s random choice of moving their queen to a5 now allows White’s b5 pawn to eliminate it via en passant. On the next move, White has the option to capture Black’s b5 pawn via a6.

Black moves P b5 → b4 because he doesn’t want this good attacking pawn on b5 to be captured by white. Black’s new move actually serves as a great opportunity for White to take its pawn on a5.

Moving his a5 pawn to a6 will immediately allow it to capture Black’s pawn which will be an en passant move because it as on the same file, and Black’s move served as a friendly passage.

Not Knowing the Rules

Some players may not realize they do not recapture the pawn using the normal rules when a piece of another player performs en passant, this can happen when a Bishop captures the attacking pawn. If both players allow the Bishop to stay, even though the attacking pawn has advanced and is close enough to be taken had the pawn not moved two spaces initially, the Bishop refuses. Bishops have a restriction in the game, however unused this ability to recapture en passantallyipcally is hardly revealed in chess games. This can catch chess players off guard due to a lack of knowledge of the rule or international organization that governs chess not clearing any disputes.

Not Understanding the Strategy Behind En Passant

En passant was introduced to prevent pawn promotion and slow down the game when pawns used to advance two squares were not protected. Since the introduction of the en passant rule, it mainly serves as a tactical opportunity to capture an advanced pawn and open up lines for other, more aggressive pieces. The rule can also allow one side to reduce their opponent’s pawns, which may (depending on position) result in a clear path for their own pawns and a subsequent advantage against the opponent’s king.

Precisely because of this strategic benefit to a well-played game, failing to understand en passant’s true value or benefits is a significant error. A player may unknowingly play right into his opponent’s hands, which could decisively determine the game’s outcome against themselves without even being aware of it, by refusing to play or incorrectly playing en passant.

How to Use En Passant in Your Chess Strategy?

Use en passant in your chess strategy to quickly eliminate an opponent’s pawn and create a safe passage for a friendly pawn. This may be helpful in your strategy of passing a pawn for advancement, and as a pawn that had the opportunity to do en passant now does not have to worry about being eliminated in the future. Strategic decisions regarding en passant should be gauged by the overall course of a specific match and by how important individual pawns are in supporting each player’s tactical moves.

Although en passant adds the advantage of tactical play to chess, it actually does not add as much strategy. Using en passant while focusing on the strategic approach allows one to quickly eliminate an opponent’s pawn and create a safe passage for a friendly pawn. By understanding how and when they can do en passant, chess players can ensure strategic success and protect their pieces from the disastrous outside forces of pawns.

Use It to Gain Control of the Center of the Board

en Passant can be a useful tool for controlling the center of the board during the opening. This is advisable for White primarily to leverage their first-mover advantage and for Black to ameliorate White’s potential threats and to take a weaker position. This is an example of en passant being used to control the center by having each side capture a pawn on either side of black’s position.

It is more difficult to say so for the middle and end game, as the central importance of these pawns diminishes during the game. In this example of best en Passant moves in chess position from the Fischer – Spassky World Chess Championship (1972), Fischer plays d5xe6 to maintain his center and strengthen his pawns.

Use It to Create a Strong Pawn Structure

Another usage of the en passant pawn move is to create a strong pawn structure. In the following chess scenario, the player who has the option to move en passant can take their opponent’s pawn to remove a weakness in the pawn structure. Start playing from nr. move 3 to see the pawns on d2 and e4 removed to make room for the queen and some pawn exchanges.

1. e4
2. d4
3. C4 Qe2
4. Cxd5 exd5
5. e5
6. Bg5
7. Bb5+

In the starting position shown in this chess game example, if the candidate pawn moves were e4 and d4 on their respective files, an en passant capture may occur on either file. The player controlling the white pieces (the player controlling the blue pieces with the letter “B” on them) captures the d-file pawn by playing Cxd5, and the player controlling the black pieces plays the move exd5, executed as the diagram shows. En passant acts as a simple pawn exchange to eliminate weaknesses in the pawns’ natural squares. Just keep in mind that your opponent will also be thinking about this.

Use It to Create Pressure on Your Opponent’s Pieces

After white induces the position for the en passant rule, white will still have their en passant rights against all enemy pawns during the opponent’s next move. Black cannot use their en passant nor does the opportunity present a strategic opportunity for their defense. This is just another way players should consider creating attacks on their opponent’s pieces.

After this time has passed, en passant rights expire and the opportunity to use the rule is lost.

Frequently Asked Questions

1.

How do I perform en passant in chess?

En passant is a special move in chess that allows a pawn to capture another pawn that has just made a double-step move. To perform en passant, simply move your pawn one square diagonally to capture your opponent’s pawn.

2.

Can I only use en passant when my opponent’s pawn is next to mine?

Yes, en passant can only be performed immediately after your opponent’s pawn makes a double-step move and is positioned next to your pawn. If your opponent’s pawn moves two squares but is not adjacent to your pawn, en passant cannot be used.

3.

Do I have to use en passant if it’s available?

No, en passant is an optional move and you are not required to use it even if it is available. You can choose to make a different move with your pawn instead.

4.

Is en passant considered a capture?

Yes, en passant is considered a capture and the captured pawn is removed from the board.

5.

Can I use en passant to capture a pawn on any square?

No, en passant can only be used to capture a pawn that has just made a double-step move and is positioned next to your pawn. You cannot use it to capture a pawn on any other square.

6.

Can I perform en passant with any of my pieces other than pawns?

No, en passant can only be performed with pawns. Other pieces cannot make double-step moves, so they cannot trigger an en passant opportunity.