Pawns

Pawns are the weakest pieces in the game of chess. They are highly immobile and often are nearly useless for more than keeping stronger pieces out of squares you don't want them. Their movement and capture techniques are somewhat confusing. Pawns have the choice of moving foward either one or two squares if they have not yet moved. After the first move they march foward vertically in a straight line. Pawns capture diagonally, however. When a pawn reaches the opposite side of the board, it undergoes a process known as promotion. Promotion results in the pawn transforming into any other piece (except the king). This means that in certain situations, a pawn may acually be more valuable than a rook if it is capable turning into a queen! Finally, the pawn may perform a special type of capture to another pawn known as "en passant" (italian for "during passing"). This occurs when the opposing pawn lunges foward two squares on its first move, past the other pawn's current position. If the opposing pawn were capable of capturing upon the movement of only a single square (as opposed to two squares) then the opposing pawn may still capture the pawn that moved two squares! This is a very difficult concept to both describe and comprehend, and diagrams are included to show pawn motion.

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Normal Pawn Motion______Pawns Capturing and _________Capture En Passant

________________________Being Promoted___________(Black Captures White)

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