![en passant chess en passant chess](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bJtfOjqy07Y/maxresdefault.jpg)
![en passant chess en passant chess](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/sdLjhgLUkbs/maxresdefault.jpg)
It is best to teach it to children after castling and before basic strategy and adults in the beginning when teaching how the pawn moves. Captures made by en passant rules are notated algebraically by specifying the pawn structure file with X and then the destination. In a formal tournament or competition, each player has the chance to record the moves they make in chess notation. While en passant does not happen often, it is important for all players to know the rule before they start playing in tournaments. En passant, French for in passing, is a special pawn move in chess that lets you capture one of the opponent’s pawns in a way you usually wouldn’t be able to. An en passant capture may only be made on the very next turn. exf6 will allow black to start freely developing the rest of his pieces with 4… Nxf6. The en passant capture is always made with a pawn, and it can be used to capture other pawns only. Right now, white has a strong control of the center and black cannot develop his kingside knight where it wants to on f6. The en passant move consists of capturing a pawn that advanced two squares right beside an advanced pawn in the fifth rank. One should only make a trade, one of the three types of transformational moves, if it benefits his position. Many beginners that do know en passant make the mistake of doing it at every opportunity. For instance, if white plays Nf3 in position above, instead of exd6, he cannot do en passant on the next move. Later is too late en passant needs to happen right after one moves his pawn two squares and his opponent has a pawn on either side of it. White can play exd6, as if black played d6. Our 131st podcast guest FIDE Master Sunil Weeramantary explains en passant as “when your pawn moves up two squares and your opponent has a pawn on either of side of it, he could capture you as if you went only one square.”įor instance in example up above, back moved his pawn two spaces to d5. En passant is a fairly rare type of move that means “in passing” in French. Two years ago I was shocked when I was reviewing a 1200 rated student’s game and he didn’t realize that he had the opportunity to do en passant and be up a pawn for nothing. Most beginners have heard of castling but do not know all the rules about it. There are two types of special moves in chess- castling and en passant.