“En passant” (a French term meaning “in passing”) is one of the most misunderstood and frequently questioned rules in chess. It is a special pawn-capturing mechanic that prevents players from using the two-square initial pawn push to sneak past an enemy pawn unharmed.
If your opponent moves a pawn two squares forward from its starting rank and lands directly beside your pawn, you have the right for one move only to capture that pawn diagonally behind it—as if it had only moved a single square forward.
It is the only move in chess where the capturing piece does not land on the exact square of the piece it removes.
The 3 Exact Conditions Required for En Passant
To legally execute an en passant capture, all three of the following conditions must be satisfied:
- Your Pawn Must Be on the 5th Rank (or 4th rank if you are Black): Your attacking pawn has advanced deep into enemy territory (e.g., White pawn on e5 or Black pawn on d4).
- Enemy Pawn Does a 2-Square Leap:
The opponent pushes an adjacent pawn two squares forward from its starting square (e.g., Black plays
d7-d5), landing horizontally beside your pawn. - Immediate Execution (“Use It or Lose It”): You must capture en passant on the very next turn. If you make any other move anywhere on the board, your right to capture that specific pawn en passant is permanently forfeited.
Step-by-Step Move Anatomy
1. Initial State : White pawn on e5. Black pawn on d7.
2. Opponent Move : Black plays d7-d5 (landing directly next to White's e5 pawn).
3. En Passant Move : White moves pawn from e5 to d6 (exd6).
4. Board Result : White pawn lands on d6; Black pawn on d5 is captured and removed!For experienced players
When recording en passant in standard algebraic notation, write it as a regular pawn capture with the destination square: exd6 (optionally appended with e.p. in older literature, though modern FIDE notation simply uses exd6).
See also:How the Pawn Moves·Pawn Promotion·Castling