pawns

In chess, pawns are the least valuable pieces but form the foundation of the game. Each side starts with eight pawns on the second rank for White and the seventh rank for Black. Pawns move forward toward the opponent, advancing one square at a time, with the option to move two squares from their starting position if both squares are unoccupied. They capture one square diagonally forward to the left or right. A pawn’s forward movement cannot jump over other pieces, and it cannot move backward.

If a pawn reaches the farthest rank (the eighth for White, the first for Black), it is promoted to another piece, typically a queen. Promotion can be to a knight, rook, or bishop as well, allowing players to create a more powerful piece or a specific tactical resource as the position requires.

A special rule, en passant, allows a pawn that has just moved two squares from its starting position to be captured by an opponent’s pawn as if it had moved only one square. The en passant capture must be performed immediately on the next move; otherwise the right to do so is lost.

Pawns shape the game’s structure and endgames. They are slow to move, cannot retreat, and control key squares and files. Common pawn-structure concepts include passed pawns, which have no opposing pawns to stop them on their path to promotion; doubled pawns, which sit on the same file; isolated pawns, with no friendly pawns on adjacent files; and backward pawns, which can be weaknesses. The strategic value of pawns increases in endgames, where organized pawn play can determine the outcome and often decide the game.