Pawn (chess)

The pawn is the most common piece in a game of chess. Even though it is the weakest piece, it is very important. Each player starts with eight pawns on their side. White pawns start on the second rank from a2 to h2. Black pawns start on the seventh rank from a7 to h7.

Players often call them by the lettered file where they stand. You might hear someone say "White's f-pawn" or "Black's b-pawn." Some pawns have special names too. A rook pawn is on the a- or h-files. A knight pawn is on the b- or g-files. A bishop pawn is on the c- or f-files. A queen pawn is on the d-file. A king pawn is on the e-file. Central pawns are on the d- or e-files.

Pawns move in a very specific way. They can move one square straight forward if the square is empty. On their very first move, they have a choice. They can move one square or two squares forward. This only works if both squares are vacant. Unlike other pieces, pawns can only move forward. They can never move backward. Capturing is also different for pawns. They do not capture the same way they move. A pawn captures by moving one square diagonally forward. They can take an enemy piece by moving to its square. There is also a special rule called en passant. This is a French term that means "in passing." It happens when a pawn moves two squares and passes an enemy pawn. The enemy can capture it as if it only moved one square.

The pawn has a very long history. It began in the oldest version of chess called chaturanga. In that game, it moved one square forward and captured diagonally. In medieval chess, pawns had names like common jobs. Some were called messengers or city guards. Others were called doctors, merchants, or blacksmiths. A famous book called "The Game and Playe of the Chesse" showed these roles. This book was printed by William Caxton. It was the second book ever printed in English. In 15th-century Europe, new rules were added. These rules included the two-square move and en passant. The word pawn comes from the Old French word "paon." This comes from a Latin word for "foot soldier."

A pawn can become much stronger through promotion. If a pawn reaches the far side of the board, it must change. It can become a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. Most players choose a queen because it is the most powerful. This is called "queening." Choosing any other piece is called "underpromotion." A player might do this to avoid a stalemate or for a special move. You can actually have many pieces of the same kind. A player could have nine queens on the board! This happens if they promote many pawns. Promotion is a big goal in the endgame of a game.

How pawns are placed changes how the game feels. This is called the pawn structure. Pawns can block each other and create walls. Sometimes pawns get locked together and cannot move. An isolated pawn is one with no friendly pawns next to it. These pawns can be a weakness because they are hard to defend. If two pawns are in the same file, they are called doubled pawns. These are usually weaker because they cannot defend each other. A "passed pawn" is a pawn that cannot be blocked or captured. Having a passed pawn is a huge advantage. It helps a player win the game by reaching the end.