What Is En Passant in Chess? Explained for Kids

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En passant (French for "in passing") is a special way for a pawn to capture another pawn. It is the rule most adults have forgotten, and it surprises many children the first time they see it.

When en passant is possible

Remember that a pawn may move two squares on its very first move. En passant exists so that a pawn cannot use that double step to sneak past an enemy pawn.

All of these must be true:

1. An enemy pawn has just moved two squares forward from its starting square.
2. It landed right beside one of your pawns, on the same row.
3. You capture on your very next move. If you wait even one move, the chance is gone.

How to capture en passant

Your pawn moves diagonally to the square the enemy pawn skipped over, and the enemy pawn is removed from the board, even though your pawn did not land on it.

In the diagram above, Black has just played the pawn from d7 to d5, right next to the white pawn on e5. White may now capture by moving the pawn from e5 to d6, and the black pawn on d5 is taken off the board.

Good to know

• Only pawns can capture en passant, and only pawns can be captured this way.
• It only works for a pawn that has advanced exactly three squares from its own starting row: for White, a pawn on the fifth row; for Black, on the fourth.
• En passant is never compulsory, unless it is the only legal move.

For parents

Teach en passant last, after your child plays full games comfortably. Set up the position from the diagram, play the two-square pawn move yourself, and let them find the capture. Doing it once on a real board makes the rule stick far better than an explanation.