En Passant in Chess – The Rule, Real Examples, and Interactive Practice
En passant is a legal pawn capture that works only immediately after an enemy pawn moves two squares from its starting square and passes through a square your pawn attacks. Your pawn captures as if the enemy pawn had moved only one square.
En passant confuses many beginners because the captured pawn is not taken on the square where it finishes. That is why the move can feel strange at first. Once you remember the three key conditions — two-square pawn move, pawn beside it, and capture immediately — the rule becomes much easier to spot.
Is en passant legal?
Yes. It is an official chess rule and fully legal in tournament play.
When does it work?
Only right after the enemy pawn makes its two-square advance.
Who can do it?
Only a pawn can capture en passant, and both White and Black can do it.
Can you practise it?
Yes — use the practice positions and real game replays below.
Step-by-step example with diagrams
Pawns usually capture one square diagonally. En passant is the special exception that stops a pawn from “slipping past” an enemy pawn by using its two-square first move.
Now the pawn advances two squares from its starting square and lands beside the enemy pawn.
The opposing pawn may now capture as if the pawn had moved only one square.
After the capture, the capturing pawn lands on the square the enemy pawn passed over, and the enemy pawn is removed.
Interactive en passant practice
These practice positions let you play the moment yourself. The first training position auto-loads on the page. Switch positions in the dropdown and the board updates automatically.
White to move: 38.dxc6+ is the en passant capture, and it wins Black’s queen.
Watch real games where en passant mattered
En passant is rare enough to be memorable, but it is not a gimmick. Here are real games where it mattered in practical play.
Petrov vs Hoffmann, 1853
White plays 38.dxc6+ en passant and wins Black’s queen.
Steinitz vs Elson, 1883
White uses the earliest possible en passant on move 3: 3.exd6 e.p.
Anand vs Mamedyarov, 2019
Black replies with 18...exf3 en passant in a modern elite game.
Gundersen vs Faul, 1928
A famous curiosity: 15.hxg6 e.p.# delivers en passant mate.
Why en passant exists
En passant prevents a pawn from escaping a normal diagonal capture merely by using the two-square first move. Without the rule, a pawn could sometimes bypass pressure in an artificial way. The rule keeps pawn play fair and consistent.
Common questions about en passant
Legality and basic rule
Is en passant still legal?
Yes. En passant is a fully legal chess move in standard chess and tournament chess. It is not a bug, a house rule, or a trick move.
What is en passant in simple terms?
En passant is a special pawn capture. If an enemy pawn moves two squares and passes through a square your pawn attacks, your pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square.
Is en passant in chess real?
Yes. En passant is a real part of the official rules of chess. It is not a meme rule and not something invented by websites.
Is en passant cheating?
No. En passant is an official rule of chess. It only feels unusual because the captured pawn is removed from a different square than the one where the capturing pawn lands.
Timing and conditions
Can you only en passant immediately?
Yes. En passant must be played on the very next move. If you play something else first, the right disappears.
Is en passant mandatory?
No. En passant is optional. If the move is legal, you may play it, but you do not have to.
Can any pawn do en passant?
No. Only a pawn that is already beside the pawn that just advanced two squares can capture en passant.
Can black do en passant?
Yes. Both White and Black can capture en passant when the same conditions are met.
Why can’t I do en passant?
Usually en passant is not legal because one of the required conditions is missing. The enemy pawn must have just moved two squares, your pawn must be beside it, and you must capture immediately.
What pieces can do it
Can a king take en passant?
No. Only pawns can capture en passant, and only pawns can be captured that way.
Can any piece take a pawn en passant?
No. En passant belongs only to pawns. No other piece can use this rule.
Can en passant happen more than once in a game?
Yes. It is rare, but a game can contain more than one en passant capture if the right positions occur.
Practical play and misconceptions
Do professional chess players use en passant?
Yes. En passant appears in master games, grandmaster games, and elite modern games. It is uncommon compared with normal captures, but strong players absolutely use it when the position allows it.
Is en passant allowed in chess competitions?
Yes. En passant is allowed in serious over-the-board chess, online chess, and tournament chess whenever the normal conditions are met.
Can en passant give check or checkmate?
Yes. En passant can open files, uncover diagonals, and in rare positions even deliver checkmate. The Gundersen–Faul example above is the classic curiosity.
Is en passant the rarest move in chess?
En passant is one of the rarest standard moves most players will actually see, but it is still a normal and important part of the rules.
Why does en passant feel so weird to beginners?
En passant feels strange because the captured pawn is not taken on the square where it finishes. Once you remember that the move treats the pawn as if it advanced only one square, the rule starts to make sense.