A pawn's first moves?

Question

Please help me settle a dispute with my husband regarding a pawn's first move.

Which is true?

A. A pawn can only move 1 or 2 times forward on its first move OR

B. A pawn can only move 1 or 2 times forward. If it decides to move 2 times forward it can move 1 time forward and 1 time diagonal to capture.

Thanks.

Answer 1

i am predey sure its b

Answer 2

A) Sort of.  On the first move it can move two forward.  It cannot move two to capture.  It can move 1 to capture, but not two, even on the first move.

Answer 3

The answer is A. I am sure. I got third place in a 100 person class chess tournament.

Answer 4

The answer is A  Thepawn can move either one or two squares forward. Not diagonal until making a capture but not ever by moving forward first then diagonal!

Answer 5

NEITHER!

On its first move ONLY, the pawn has the option of moving one or two squares forward. Regardless, it can move only one sqare forward thereafter. When a pawn CAPTURES it captures ONE square DIAGONALLY ahead of it to the right or left, but CANNOT capture DIRECTLY in front of it. (Think of the foot soldiers of old with the big shields and the pikes. They could sort of stab in front of them to either side, but couldn't stab straight in front of them because their big shields got in the way.)

This makes the pawn unique in that it is the only piece that captures differently from the way it moves. The two move option DOES NOT mean that the pawn can move straight out one square and then diagonally one square to capture a piece all in one move. They are ambitious little peons, but they must be content with the career goal of making it all the way to the 8th rank and getting promoted to a Queen, Rook, Knight, or Bishop. They can move straight ahead; they can capture on the diagonal. They can't do both in the same move, not even on the two-square first move option.

There is also a special type of capture called "en passant" (French for "In Passing") that exists ONLY between pawns. If a pawn has advanced to its 5th rank (one rank past the center line) and then a pawn on an adjacent file exercises its option to come out two squares at once, (so that it is shoulder to shoulder with the pawn on the 5th rank) the pawn that was already on the 5th rank has the right to capture that pawn en passant. It does so by moving diagonally to the square directly BEHIND the pawn (as though the pawn had only moved out one square) and removing the pawn from the board.  An en passant capture must be made on the very next move or it cannot be made -- you have allowed that pawn to pass unchallenged.

Hope this helps.

--Scott

Answer 6

On it's first move only  it can move forward two

Answer 7

a pawn can move one or two squares on the first move only, it can't move then capture, that would be two moves