Pawn

The pawn is the most numerous and least valuable piece in chess. Each player begins the game with eight pawns, positioned on the second rank for white and the seventh rank for black.

Pawns differ from other pieces in two respects: they move only forward in one direction and can never retreat; they also capture differently from how they move. For this reason, pawn structure largely determines the strategy of the entire game.

Movement and capture

A pawn moves forward one square. On its first move, it may advance two squares if both squares are empty. The piece directly in front of a pawn blocks it and cannot be captured. Capture occurs one square diagonally forward, to either side.

En passant capture

If a pawn advances two squares and lands beside an opposing pawn on the same rank, the opposing pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square. This rule is called en passant. It must be executed on the very next move; otherwise the right is forfeited.

Promotion

When a pawn reaches the final rank on the opponent's side, it must be exchanged for another piece of the same color: queen, knight, bishop, or rook. The queen is typically chosen, though a knight is sometimes selected if a particular advantage arises from it. The king cannot be chosen, and a pawn cannot remain on the final rank.

Value and structure

By conventional valuation, a pawn is worth one point, whereas knights and bishops are worth three, rooks five, and the queen nine. Common terms for pawn situations include isolated pawn, doubled pawns, and passed pawn—one that cannot be stopped by opposing pawns in front of it or on adjacent files. In the endgame, a passed pawn often decides the outcome.