Pawn Play
What does en passant mean in chess?
- Pawn
- Rule
- Tactic
A special pawn capture against a pawn that just advanced two squares past an attacking pawn.
Where the term comes from
French for 'in passing'. The rule was added in Europe around the fifteenth century, when pawns first gained the option of advancing two squares from their starting position — en passant exists to stop that new double-step from slipping past an enemy pawn that would otherwise have captured it.
En Passant FAQ
What does en passant mean in chess?
A special pawn capture against a pawn that just advanced two squares past an attacking pawn.
Train this pattern on your own games
Reading a definition is not the same as spotting the pattern with a clock running. Chessiro's free PGN analysis runs Stockfish 19 over every move you play, names the concept behind each mistake, and turns the positions where it cost you into training puzzles. You can also see the idea in action in the classic games collection, where the greatest players in history demonstrate it.
Related terms
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