What is en passent in chess?

Question

What is en passent in chess?

Answer 1

When a pawn (let's say a white one) has advanced to the opponent's fifth rank, and a black pawn on an adjacent file in its starting position takes its optional two-square first move and comes up alongside the white pawn, the white pawn on its next move may capture the black pawn "en passant" (in passing) by moving diagonally to the sixth rank square as if the black pawn had moved only one square.

Answer 2

if you dont know already the people u play are terrible and chances are you are as well, you big dummy. sorry i got fired today from milton bradley

Answer 3

Hope this helps: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_passant

Answer 4

Normally for the pawn to take a piece he moves forward diagonally.  If the pawn has not yet moved from his original position he can move forward two spaces.  If an opposing pawn could have taken that pawn if he had moved forward one space then the opposing pawn can take the pawn that moved two spaces on his next move.

Answer 5

It makes you think!

Answer 6

en passant ('in passing' in Englsh) is a special move that a pawn can use. before explianing, you must understand that 700 years ago, the pawn was only allowed to move 1  space at a time, and it was a few centuries ago that they could move 2 spaces.

    En passant came in when the problem of pawns being able to get away from being taken by another piece if it moved 2 spaces. so the rule of en passant came in. this enabled the pawn to be taken even if it passes another pawn that could of taken it if it moved one space...

  e.g

.............. |____|____|___

........D....|         |  p    |

...............|____|____|__

...............|         |         |

....C....... |____|____|____

...............|  P    | P     |

......B..... |____|____|___

.............. |  R    |   K    |

..... A..... |____|____|__

.................1.......2...............

   as you can see from this example... the upper case pawn on B1 will be taken if it moves 1 space.... so the rule that it could move 2 spaces enables it to evade the attack....however using the rule of en passant the lower case pawn on D2 can take the upper case pawn on B1 if it moves 2 spaces...if the lower case pawn takes the the other pawn it would look like this...

e.g.2

.............. |____|____|___............... |___|____|____....................

........D... |    P  |   p    |     .................| (P) |         |

.............. |____|____|__..................|___|____...

.............. |         |         |      ................|  p   |         |         .....................

....C........|____|____|____.............

.............. |         | P     |        .............. |       |   P    |           .................

......B..... |____|____|___ .............. |___ |____|___......................

.............. |  R    |   K    |      ............... |  R   |  K    |        .....................

..... A......|____|____|__ .................|___ |____|__........................

.................1.......2............... .......2...................................

() means taken

The picture/diagrams may be distorted...place spaces in between the lines (|)  until you see the chess board

Hope this answers your question

Answer 7

en passant french for in passing it's a special pawn move

Answer 8

'En passant' is like the 'double secret probation' of the chess world.  It's an obscure move in which a pawn can take another pawn which is next to it, instead of the usual diagonal.  There are very strict limitations on when it can be used.