En passant in chess

By Chessvia · Updated Oct 23, 2026

En passant is a pawn capture available immediately after an opposing pawn moves two squares beside your pawn.

Capture on the square it crossed; your own king must remain safe.

When is en passant legal?

All four of these must be true on the move you capture.

Your pawn. It stands on its fifth rank if it is White, or on its fourth rank if it is Black.
The enemy pawn. A pawn on the next file has just moved two squares from its starting square and stopped beside yours.
The capture. You take it at once, on your very next move, by moving diagonally onto the square it crossed. The enemy pawn is removed.
Your king. The move must leave your own king safe.

The capture is optional when another legal move exists. If the board refuses it, check the previous move, the square you chose, and whether moving your pawn exposes your king.

Chapter 1 of 2How to capture en passant

Chapter 1 of 2

How to capture en passant

Play

exd6.

White's pawn reaches d6 and the black pawn on d5 is removed.

Start with the white pawn on e5 and the black pawn on d7.

When Black plays d7 to d5 in one move, the pawns stand side by side.
White may move from e5 to d6, the square Black crossed, and remove the pawn from d5.
On this board, play exd6.
The destination was empty before the move, which is why this capture looks strange at first.
It is still a capture, made by a pawn against a pawn.

Reset

White's pawn reaches d6 and the black pawn on d5 is removed.

White's choices

3.exd6

How to capture en passant

Open this position in the next move calculator

Questions players ask

What does en passant mean?

En passant is French for “in passing”. The pawn is captured as it passes the square beside your pawn.

Why was en passant added to chess?

When pawns gained the option of moving two squares on their first move, a pawn could slip past an enemy pawn that would have captured it after a one-square step. En passant keeps that capture available for one move, so the two-square advance cannot be used to escape it.

Rules and examples

Rules: FIDE Laws of Chess, Article 3.7.3.

Credits

Rule replay: python-chess 1.11.2 (GPL-3.0-or-later). The shared browser engine retains its Stockfish GPL-3.0 notice. No engine score is claimed by these demonstrations.

Piece set: MIT.

When is en passant legal?

All four of these must be true on the move you capture.

Your pawn. It stands on its fifth rank if it is White, or on its fourth rank if it is Black.

The enemy pawn. A pawn on the next file has just moved two squares from its starting square and stopped beside yours.

The capture. You take it at once, on your very next move, by moving diagonally onto the square it crossed. The enemy pawn is removed.

Your king. The move must leave your own king safe.

The capture is optional when another legal move exists. If the board refuses it, check the previous move, the square you chose, and whether moving your pawn exposes your king.

How to capture en passant

Play

exd6.

White's pawn reaches d6 and the black pawn on d5 is removed.

Start with the white pawn on e5 and the black pawn on d7.

When Black plays d7 to d5 in one move, the pawns stand side by side.
White may move from e5 to d6, the square Black crossed, and remove the pawn from d5.
On this board, play exd6.
The destination was empty before the move, which is why this capture looks strange at first.
It is still a capture, made by a pawn against a pawn.

White's pawn reaches d6 and the black pawn on d5 is removed.

Questions players ask

What does en passant mean?

En passant is French for “in passing”. The pawn is captured as it passes the square beside your pawn.

En passant in chess

When is en passant legal?

How to capture en passant

Why en passant must be played at once

White's choices

Questions players ask

What does en passant mean?

Why was en passant added to chess?

Rules and examples

En passant in chess

When is en passant legal?

How to capture en passant

Why en passant must be played at once

White's choices

Questions players ask

What does en passant mean?

Why was en passant added to chess?

Rules and examples