How Pawns Move — Chess Foundations, Lesson 3
Learn exactly how pawns move forward, capture diagonally, take their optional two-square first move, and the special en passant capture rule.
This is lesson 3 of ten in Chess Foundations, a free beginner course from Endgame Society. Each lesson is short, written in plain language, and built around a board you can move pieces on while you read.
Learn how pawns move, capture, and the special en passant rule.
Pawns are the soul of chess — and the trickiest piece for beginners to understand, because they're the only piece that moves differently from how they capture.
Movement: Pawns move forward one square (never backward). On their first move only, they can advance two squares.
Capturing: Pawns capture diagonally — one square forward-left or forward-right. They cannot capture straight ahead.
Special rule — en passant: If a pawn uses its two-square first move to land beside an enemy pawn, the enemy pawn can capture it as if it had only moved one square. This must be done immediately or the right is lost.
White's pawn on e3 can move to e4 (forward) or capture on d4 (diagonally). It cannot move backward. It cannot capture straight ahead.
Work through the lessons in order and you will finish knowing how every piece moves, how games end, and how to plan your first few moves without memorising anything.
Our courses run from the rules of the board to endgame technique. Lessons are interactive: you read a short passage, then play the position out on a real board before moving on.
How Pawns Move & Capture — Beginner Chess Rules | Foundations