Game rules

En passant

En passant is a special pawn capture. When an opponent's pawn moves two squares from its starting square and lands right next to your pawn, you may capture it as if it had moved only one square. You may do this only on the very next move.

Play chess All game rules

10–30 min Chess 2 player10–30 min Free online vs computer, 2 player and puzzles.

In short

Only a pawn captures, and only a pawn.
The opponent's pawn must move two squares from its starting square.
It must land right next to your pawn on the same rank.
Your pawn moves to the square the opponent's pawn skipped.
You must capture right away, on the next move, or the chance is gone.

What does en passant look like in an example?

A white pawn stands on e5. Black moves a pawn from d7 to d5, two squares, and it lands next to it. On the next move the white pawn may capture it en passant: it moves from e5 to d6, and the black pawn on d5 leaves the board. In chess notation it is written exd6 e.p.

The black pawn moved from d7 to d5, next to the white pawn on e5. White captures en passant: the pawn goes to d6 and the pawn on d5 leaves the board.

When is en passant possible?

Your pawn stands on the fifth rank when you play White, or on the fourth rank when you play Black.
An opponent's pawn from the neighbouring file has just moved two squares and landed next to yours.
You capture right away, on your next move.
After the capture your king may not be left in check, as after any move.

Why does en passant exist?

The two square pawn move was added to chess to speed up the game. Without en passant, though, a pawn could slip past an opposing pawn that guarded the square it skipped. En passant keeps that right: the pawn can be captured as if it had made an ordinary one square move.

Is en passant compulsory?

No. It is an ordinary option you may use or not. The only exception is the same as for any move: if en passant is the only way out of check, or the only legal move, you have to play it.