The Pawn
The Pawn
At the beginning of the game White will have 8 pawns on his 2nd rank, and Black will have 8 pawns on his 2nd rank. Note: when we referrer to a rank from the perspective of a particular side, we start counting from that side. For example the a7-pawn is on Black's 2nd rank.
The pawn may only move forward towards the opponent's side of the board. On its first move, a pawn advances either one or two vacant squares along its file. On its subsequent moves, a pawn advances one vacant square along its file. The pawn is unique in that it captures and attacks differently from the way it moves. When capturing, it advances one square along either of the diagonals on which it stands; it attacks these same squares.
A pawn, attacking a square bypassed by an opponent's pawn (the latter having advanced two squares in one move from its original square) may capture the opponent's pawn as though the latter had moved only one square. This capture may only be made in immediate reply to such advance and is call an en passant (in passing) capture.
Capturing En Passant
In Figure 2, the White pawn sits on the d5-square, he attacks the e6 and c6 squares. The Black e-pawn has just moved 2 squares, bypassing the attacked e6-square. White may if he chooses, capture the Black pawn on that e6-square. But, White must do the capture on the very next move.
To better understand the activities of the pawn, please watch the video at the bottom of the page.
In the next section we will descuss the King.
The Rules of Chess
- Basics Improve logical thinking, memory and problem solving
- Chess Board The pathways of the pieces
- Queen The most powerful piece on the board
- Rooks Form a battery to increase their power
- Bishops A long range attacking piece
- Knights Must be centralized to be effective
- Pawns They move along the file and attack on the diagonals
- King If your king is in checkmate you lose the game
- Castling Keep the king safe and give him a castle
- Checkmate Game over
United States Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess
The U.S. Chess Federation's Official Rules of Chess is the only official rulebook for chess. Serious players at every level as well as chess club teachers, directors, and tournament sponsors should have it on hand during every match. This new edition features the latest rules, including guidelines for the popular game of speed chess, an updated quick rating system, and the latest conventions of governing tournaments. It also contains explanations of every legal move, a guide to calculating lifetime rankings, guidelines for sponsoring and running a tournament, and a lesson on how to read and write chess notation.
The Pawn