What is en passant in chess?

En passant is a pawn capture that is available when an enemy pawn moves two squares forward from its starting square and lands directly beside one of your pawns. Your pawn may capture it as though it had only advanced one square, moving diagonally onto the square the enemy pawn passed over.

Can you play en passant at any time?

No. You must capture on the move immediately after the enemy pawn's two-square advance. If you play any other move first, the right to capture that pawn en passant is gone permanently.

Is en passant a forced move?

No. En passant is an option, not an obligation. You may capture, or you may ignore it and play something else, though you then lose the chance for that pawn.

Can a pawn capture en passant on any rank?

No. The capturing pawn must be on its fifth rank, which is rank 5 for White and rank 4 for Black. That is the only rank from which an enemy pawn's two-square advance can land beside it.

Can pieces other than pawns capture en passant?

No. En passant is a pawn-only rule, and it can only be used to capture a pawn. No other piece can make or be subject to an en passant capture.

Is en passant a real rule?

Yes. En passant is part of the official FIDE laws of chess and has been standard for centuries. It is fully implemented in every serious chess program and enforced in rated play.

Chess Rules

En Passant

The chess rule that lets a pawn capture a pawn that just slipped past it.

En passant is a special pawn capture in chess. When a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands directly beside an enemy pawn, that enemy pawn may capture it as if it had only moved one square. The capture is only legal on the very next move. It is the only capture in chess where the capturing piece does not end up on the square of the piece it captured.

Before

♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♟♙♙♙♙♙♙♙♙♖♘♗♕♔♗♘♖

Black has just played 1...d5, moving the d-pawn two squares so it lands beside White's pawn on e5. This is the only moment White may capture en passant.

After

♜♞♝♛♚♝♞♜♟♟♟♟♟♟♙♟♙♙♙♙♙♙♙♖♘♗♕♔♗♘♖

After 3.exd6 en passant. The White pawn moves diagonally to d6 — the square the Black pawn skipped over — and the Black pawn on d5 is removed from the board.

The three conditions for en passant

All three must be true at the same time. If any one of them fails, the capture is not legal.

Your capturing pawn is on its fifth rank. That is rank 5 for White and rank 4 for Black.
An enemy pawn moves two squares forward in a single move and lands on a square directly beside your pawn, on an adjacent file.
You capture immediately, on your very next move. The right expires the moment you play anything else, and it never comes back for that pawn.

How the capture is made

Your pawn moves diagonally forward one square, onto the square the enemy pawn passed over rather than the square it is standing on. The enemy pawn is then removed from the board.

This is what makes en passant unique. In every other capture in chess, the capturing piece finishes on the captured piece's square. Here it finishes behind it.

Why the rule exists

Pawns originally moved only one square at a time. The two-square first move was added to speed up the opening, which created a loophole: a pawn could use it to run straight past an enemy pawn that would otherwise have been able to challenge it.

En passant closes that loophole. It restores the position that would have arisen had the pawn advanced one square, so the two-square rule cannot be used to dodge a confrontation.

Writing en passant in notation

En passant is written like any other pawn capture, using the file the capturing pawn came from and the square it lands on. In the diagram above that is exd6.

The suffix e.p. is sometimes added for clarity, as in exd6 e.p. It is optional and modern notation usually leaves it out.

Frequently asked questions

What is en passant in chess?: En passant is a pawn capture that is available when an enemy pawn moves two squares forward from its starting square and lands directly beside one of your pawns. Your pawn may capture it as though it had only advanced one square, moving diagonally onto the square the enemy pawn passed over.
Can you play en passant at any time?: No. You must capture on the move immediately after the enemy pawn's two-square advance. If you play any other move first, the right to capture that pawn en passant is gone permanently.
Is en passant a forced move?: No. En passant is an option, not an obligation. You may capture, or you may ignore it and play something else, though you then lose the chance for that pawn.
Can a pawn capture en passant on any rank?: No. The capturing pawn must be on its fifth rank, which is rank 5 for White and rank 4 for Black. That is the only rank from which an enemy pawn's two-square advance can land beside it.
Can pieces other than pawns capture en passant?: No. En passant is a pawn-only rule, and it can only be used to capture a pawn. No other piece can make or be subject to an en passant capture.
Is en passant a real rule?: Yes. En passant is part of the official FIDE laws of chess and has been standard for centuries. It is fully implemented in every serious chess program and enforced in rated play.

More chess rules

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