Special Pawns!

Get ready for an exciting lesson on pawns! You’ll learn promotion examples, rules, and tips on using “En Passant”.

Topic 1

This one is tricky, but fun! The a7 pawn wants to become a queen. But Black’s bishop is guarding that square. How can you help White’s pawn become a queen?

You’re giving up a rook for a bishop? Are you sure about this? Well, you’re right!

There are no other options for Black. Pushing the pawn to b2 would simply see it captured by the a3 bishop.  
Can you continue what you started? How do you press forward?

Of course! And we learn a valuable lesson. If you can get a queen, it’s often worth giving up a piece, or even more, to do it.

Topic 2

White is close to winning and close to promoting the f7-pawn. But what piece should White promote to?

Very good! Sometimes, getting a new queen isn’t the fastest or best option. If you played too quickly and promoted to a queen, it would’ve been stalemate. You definitely wouldn’t want that.

The only move.
You promoted to the right piece. Now how can White finish off the game in one move?

Checkmate! Good work!

Topic 3

In this position, Black is attacking the b2 pawn, which is being held back by Black’s a4 pawn. If it were not for the En Passant rule, White’s b-pawn could jump past Black’s a-pawn.

Not fair! White just moved two squares forward, right by the a4 pawn. If the pawn moved only one square at a time, Black would be able to capture on b3. But with en passant, Black can capture another pawn which has just passed it by moving two squares.

En passant! The black pawn reached out and “grabbed” the white pawn just as it passed through b3. Two important en passant rules to remember: 1) it only happens when a pawn has JUST moved two squares. Black would have to capture right away, or he will lose the en passant opportunity…and 2) only pawns can capture other pawns en passant!

Topic 4

En Passant can be a tricky rule to understand at first. The most important thing to remember is that it can only happen after a two-square pawn move.

The white pawn just moved two squares…

Black captures it en passant! Remember, if Black didn’t do this right away and played a different move instead, he would lose the en passant option. Also, remember that you don’t HAVE to capture en passant. Decide if it’s a good move before you do it!

So White recaptured the pawn. In this case, en passant was just a trade of pawns…

Black just moved his pawn from h6 to h5. Can white also capture the black pawn on h5 by using en passant?
It looks the same as after White played a4, right? Try capturing on h6, and if you cannot, just click “continue”.

That’s right — the computer wouldn’t let you capture on h6. That’s because it is not legal to capture en passant here! The black h-pawn, if you remember, came from h6, not h7. En passant only happens after a pawn moves two squares in one move. Here the black h-pawn only moved one square.

Topic 5

Every rule in chess is important, even rare ones like en passant. It can mean the difference between defeat and victory!

White is down by a lot! But the black king is trapped and White is planning Bxh7#, checkmate.

Black thinks he has saved himself. White cannot get to h7 now, and if he tries to capture on h5 with the rook, then Black can play Re1, checkmating White!

But White can fight back with the en passant rule! It turns out that Black’s …h5 move didn’t save him after all. Can you find the right move for White?

Bravo!! The black h-pawn has just advanced two squares and passed through the h6 square, which White’s g5-pawn controls. This also opened up the g-file, so the rook on g2 is now checking the black king! Checkmate.