Back to Basics: En Passant

 

By National Master Evan Rabin

There are two types of special moves in chess- castling and en passant. Most beginners have heard of castling but do not know all the rules about it. 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.  En passant is a fairly rare type of move that means “in passing” in French.

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.” 

For instance in example up above, back moved his pawn two spaces to d5. White can play exd6,  as if black played d6. 

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.  For instance, if white plays Nf3 in position above, instead of exd6, he cannot do en passant on the next move.

Many beginners that do know en passant make the mistake of doing it at every opportunity. One should only make a trade, one of the three types of transformational moves, if it benefits his position.

Let’s take a look at this position:

Should white play 4 exf6?…….

No. 

Right now, white has a strong control of the center and black cannot develop his kingside knight where it wants to on f6. Playing 4. exf6 will allow black to start freely developing the rest of his pieces with 4… Nxf6.

While en passant does not happen often, it is important for all players to know the rule before they start playing in tournaments. 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.

22 thoughts on “Back to Basics: En Passant”

  1. Although <a href="[Link deleted]dash lite doesn’t have online leaderboards, you can still compete with friends by sharing your best scores.

  2. It appears that you know a lot about this topic. I expect to learn more from your upcoming updates. Of course, you are very much welcomed to my website <a href="[Link deleted]about Website Design.

  3. Truly appreciate your well-written posts. I have certainly picked up valuable insights from your page. Here is mine <a href="[Link deleted]about Price Comparison Sites. Feel free to visit soon.

  4. Your writing style is cool and I have learned several just right stuff here. I can see how much effort you’ve poured in to come up with such informative posts. If you need more input about SEO, feel free to check out my website at <a href="[Link deleted]

  5. Having read your posts. I believed you have given your readers valuable information. Feel free to visit my website <a href="[Link deleted]and I hope you get additional insights about Search Engine Optimization as I did upon stumbling across your site.

  6. Your ideas absolutely shows this site could easily be one of the bests in its niche. Drop by my website <a href="[Link deleted]for some fresh takes about Memes. Also, I look forward to your new updates.

  7. You absolutely know how to keep your readers interest with your witty thoughts on that topic. I was looking for additional resources, and I am glad I came across your site. Feel free to check my website <a href="[Link deleted]Sphere about Document Management Systems.

  8. ورق استیل 316 با داشتن ترکیب مولیبدن، مقاومت بیشتری در برابر خوردگی و سایش نسبت به ورق استیل 304 دارد. این ورق به ویژه در محیط‌های دریایی و صنایع شیمیایی کاربرد دارد. ترکیب شیمیایی این ورق شامل 16 تا 18 درصد کروم، 10 تا 14 درصد نیکل و 2 تا 3 درصد مولیبدن است که باعث می‌شود خواص مکانیکی و شیمیایی برجسته‌ای داشته باشد. ورق استیل 316 همچنین در دماهای بالا تا حدود 800 درجه سانتی‌گراد مقاومت خوبی دارد. برای خرید و مشاهده قیمت ورق استیل 316 به وبسایت فولاد مارکت مراجعه کنید و از مشاوره تخصصی ما بهره‌مند شوید.
    [Link deleted]

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *