How pawns capture in chess
A pawn moves straight ahead but captures one square diagonally forward. It cannot capture a piece standing directly in front of it, which simply blocks it.
The rules in short
- A pawn captures one square diagonally forwards, to the left or the right.
- It cannot capture straight ahead, and it cannot capture backwards.
- When a pawn captures, it takes the place of the piece it captured.
- Two pawns facing each other on the same file block each other completely.
Pawn chains and pawn trades
Because pawns capture diagonally, they protect the pawns diagonally in front of them. Pawns lined up on a diagonal like this support each other and are called a chain. Trading pawns, one capturing the other, opens files and diagonals for the bigger pieces behind them.
Two special rules to look up next
Pawns have two rules that surprise new players. En passant lets a pawn capture another pawn that has just moved two squares past it, and promotion turns a pawn that reaches the last row into a stronger piece. Both are covered in the next chapter of the course.
Try it on a real board
This lesson is free and needs no account. You move the piece yourself on an interactive board, and it tells you straight away if the move is right.
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