How the Pawn Moves in Chess, Explained for Kids

8

7

6

5

4

3

2

1a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

The pawn is the smallest piece on the board, and each player starts with eight of them. Pawns are worth only one point each, but they are the only pieces that can turn into something much bigger, so never treat them as unimportant.

How the pawn moves

• Forwards, one square at a time. A pawn never moves backwards or sideways.
• Two squares on its very first move. Each pawn may jump two squares the first time it moves, if both squares are empty. After that, it is one square per move.
• It captures diagonally. A pawn takes an enemy piece one square diagonally forwards, never straight ahead. If a piece stands directly in front of it, the pawn is simply stuck.

That last rule is the one children mix up most: a pawn walks straight but eats diagonally.

Two special pawn rules

When a pawn reaches the far side of the board it must be swapped for a queen, rook, bishop or knight. That is called pawn promotion. And there is one unusual capture that only pawns can make, en passant. Learn the simple moves first and keep these two for later.

Tips for using pawns well

• Move the pawns in front of your king and queen early, to open lines for your bishops and queen.
• Pawns that protect each other in a diagonal chain are hard to attack.
• Think twice before every pawn move: since pawns cannot go back, every step is permanent.

For parents

The best first game is the pawn game: each side has only its eight pawns, and whoever gets a pawn to the other side first wins. It teaches the forward move, the diagonal capture and planning ahead, all in ten minutes.