En passant
It shows up on essentially every test, phrased almost the same way every time.
En passant is the rule students are most likely to have never seen — and it appears on nearly every UIL Chess Puzzle test, usually worded almost identically.
The rule
When a pawn moves two squares forward from its starting position and lands directly beside an enemy pawn, that enemy pawn may capture it as if it had only moved one square. Three conditions, all required:
- The captured pawn just moved two squares, on the move immediately before
- It landed on a square directly beside your pawn, on an adjacent file
- You capture immediately — the right disappears after one move
How the test asks it
The question is usually phrased: "Black just played d7 to d5. Which pawn can be captured?" The answer is nearly always the pawn that just moved two squares. Find the white pawn sitting beside it on the fifth rank, and the en passant capture is available.
Worked examples
Black just played e7 to e5. Which pawn can be captured?
- a) Black's b-pawn
- b) Black's h-pawn
- c) Black's e-pawn ← correct
- d) White can't capture a pawn.
En passant! Black's e-pawn just jumped two squares from e7 to e5 and landed right beside White's d-pawn. On this move only, White may capture it as if it had moved just one square: dxe6. No other black pawn is diagonally in front of a white pawn.
Black just played h7 to h5. Which pawn can be captured?
- a) Black's d-pawn
- b) Black's b-pawn
- c) Black's h-pawn ← correct
- d) White can't capture a pawn.
En passant! Black's h-pawn just jumped two squares from h7 to h5 and landed right beside White's g-pawn. On this move only, White may capture it as if it had moved just one square: gxh6. No other black pawn is diagonally in front of a white pawn.
Black just played g7 to g5. Which pawn can be captured?
- a) Black's a-pawn
- b) Black's g-pawn ← correct
- c) Black's d-pawn
- d) White can't capture a pawn.
En passant! Black's g-pawn just jumped two squares from g7 to g5 and landed right beside White's f-pawn. On this move only, White may capture it as if it had moved just one square: fxg6. No other black pawn is diagonally in front of a white pawn.
Common questions
What is en passant in chess?
A special pawn capture. When a pawn moves two squares forward and lands beside an enemy pawn, that enemy pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square — but only on the very next move.
Does en passant appear on the UIL Chess Puzzle test?
Yes, on nearly every test, usually worded as 'Black just played d7 to d5. Which pawn can be captured?'
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