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Chess rules

How Do Pawns Move and Capture?

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A pawn moves straight forward one square — or two squares on its very first move — but it captures diagonally forward one square. Pawns never move backward and never capture straight ahead. They also have two special rules: promotion and en passant.

On this page
  1. Move forward, capture diagonally
  2. Pawns never go back
  3. The two special rules
  4. Keep learning

Move forward, capture diagonally

A pawn advances straight up its file but cannot capture that way. If a piece sits directly in front of it, the pawn cannot advance while that square remains occupied, although it may still capture diagonally. To capture, the pawn moves one square diagonally forward, left or right. From its starting square, and only if both intervening and destination squares are empty, it may advance two squares.

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White pawn on e4 can push to e5 — or capture the black pawn diagonally with exd5.

Pawns never go back

A pawn is the only piece that can never retreat. Every pawn move is permanent, which makes pawn moves unusually committal: after a pawn advances, that pawn can no longer guard the squares it used to control. Those squares may still be defended by another pawn or piece. Doubled, isolated, and passed pawns are structural consequences that cannot simply be reversed on the next move.

Pawns can defend one another in chains. A chain may be durable, but its base, pawn breaks and the pieces attacking it still need to be assessed.

The two special rules

Pawns have two special rules. On reaching the far rank, a pawn promotes to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. En passant is the immediate special capture of an opposing pawn that has just advanced two squares past a square your pawn attacks.

Can a pawn capture straight ahead?No. A pawn captures only diagonally forward. A piece directly in front of a pawn blocks it completely — the pawn cannot move or capture through it.
When can a pawn move two squares?Only on that pawn’s first move, from its starting rank, and only if both squares ahead are empty. After it has moved once, it advances one square at a time.
Can pawns move backward?Never. Pawns are the only pieces that cannot retreat, so every pawn push is a permanent commitment.

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