Welcome back. Perhaps you'd like to tell me what you'd like me to call you this lesson.
Tell me, kiddo, how did you get on with capturing Fishy Bobber's flag?

I know how to play - and sometimes beat Fishy Bobber

I know how to play - but I keep on losing to Fishy Bobber

I still don't understand how pawns move
There's another special pawn capture you need to know before you go any further.

Fishy knows it - and he might have played it against you. Perhaps you thought he was cheating.

This rule is really hard to understand - most grownups don't understand it, you know.

I'm really intelligent - it'll be no problem for me.

I'm too stupid - I don't think I'll understand it
Watch this very carefully.

There you are, the guy in the smart red uniform, standing there on e5.

That's YOUR FIFTH RANK.

On the NEXT FILE there's an enemy soldier who has not yet moved.

Remember, he can move forward either ONE or TWO squares.

Now the enemy soldier chooses to move forward TWO squares - from d7 to d5.

What happens now is this:

You can, IF YOU LIKE, say to him as he passes the d6 square:

"STOP RIGHT THERE. I'M GOING TO KILL YOU WHILE YOU PASS THAT SQUARE."

And that's exactly what you do.

Cool, isn't it?
And here's the position once you've made the capture.

Let's explain again how it works.

YOU HAVE A PAWN ON YOUR FIFTH RANK.

YOUR OPPONENT HAS AN UNMOVED PAWN ON THE NEXT FILE.

IF HE MOVES THAT PAWN TWO SQUARES YOU CAN, ON YOUR NEXT MOVE, TAKE IT AS IF IT MOVED ONE SQUARE.

OK?
Now look at it from the other side of the battlefield.

There you are, standing on b2 minding your own business.

There's a black dude on c4 waiting to kill you if you move to b3.

But he'll also kill you if you move to c4.

Just watch what happens.

Here's the position if you move TWO SQUARES FORWARD, to b4.

Don't forget that BLACK'S FIFTH RANK is the rank numbered 4 on your board.

He can kill you by moving to b3 and removing YOU from the battlefield.

So watch out!!

And here's the position after you've been killed.

This is called the EN PASSANT RULE.

That's French - it means IN PASSING, which might help you remember it.

The rule is hard to remember - and easy to forget.

If you need to refresh your memory come back here any time.
We'll find out now if you remember it, kiddo.


When you make an EN PASSANT CAPTURE, on which rank is YOUR pawn.

Your FOURTH rank Your FIFTH rank Your SIXTH rank

When you make an EN PASSANT CAPTURE, on which file is THE ENEMY pawn.

The SAME file as you The NEXT file to you ANY file

When you make an EN PASSANT CAPTURE, your opponent has just moved his pawn ...

One square forward One square diagonally forward Two squares forward

Now you know ALL the rules about pawn moves it's time for some tips on how to use them well and get to the end of the board before your opponent.

My first tip is this:

In order to make sure you CAPTURE THE FLAG you need to create a PASSED PAWN.
A PASSED PAWN is a pawn which can reach the end of the board without being blocked or captured by an enemy pawn.

In this position the four CIRCLED PAWNS are PASSED. They can all reach the end of the board safely.

The two pawns on the f-file are BLOCKED - so they are NOT passed.

If the White Pawn on e5 tries to get to the end of the board the Black Pawn on d6 will be able to kill him.

And if the Black Pawn on d7 tries to get to the end of the board the White Pawn on e5 will kill him. If he moves forward TWO squares the e5 Pawn will be able to make an EN PASSSANT capture. Remember that?
Tell me this. Which one of White's pawns is a PASSED PAWN?

a4 c3 d5 f4 h2
You can see that, in order to get a pawn to the end and CAPTURE THE FLAG you have to get a PASSED PAWN.

You also have to stop the enemy getting a PASSED PAWN.

So, the next tip is this:

ALWAYS WATCH WHAT YOUR ENEMY IS DOING.

PAY ATTENTION AT ALL TIMES. WATCH THE BOARD AT ALL TIMES. LOOK AT HIS MOVE AND ASK YOURSELF WHAT HE'S DOING.
Black has just moved his pawn from a4 to a3. Which pawn should White move now?

b2 c4 d4 e4 f2
Two more tips:

1. DON'T PLACE A PAWN WHERE IT CAN BE TAKEN FOR FREE WITHOUT A GOOD REASON.

2. ALWAYS ASSUME YOUR OPPONENT WILL PLAY THE BEST MOVE.

DON'T play a move just because you hope your opponent will make a mistake and let you get a pawn to the end.
In this position, is it a good idea for White to move his pawn from f5 to f6?

YES - in two moves time the pawn will reach the end of the board.

YES - he could take my pawn but he probably won't notice

NO - if he takes my pawn I'll lose a pawn for nothing and maybe lose the battle
Your last tip goes like this:

Sometimes you have to count how many moves it will take for both sides to get a pawn to the end before you decide what to do.

It's not easy: you'll need some practice to get used to it.

Set up the following positions on your chessboard and play them out before answering the questions.
It's White's move in this position. Can you work out what's happening?

White can only win if he moves his pawn from f5 to f6

White must stop Black's a-pawn before moving his f-pawn

White will win the game whatever he plays here
It's White's move in this position as well. What's happening this time?

White can only win if he moves his pawn from f5 to f6

White must stop Black's c-pawn before moving his f-pawn

White will win the game whatever he plays here
There are some positions in which it's a good idea to give away a pawn.

This can be a way of making a PASSED PAWN which can reach the end of the board quickly.

Again you have to THINK AHEAD and count how many moves it will take for each player's pawn to reach the end of the board.
What would happen if White moved his pawn from a4 to a5?

White would get his Pawn to the end first and win the game

White would lose the game: Black would get to the end first

I don't know: it's too hard for me to work out
What would happen if White moved his pawn from a3 to a4?

White would get his Pawn to the end first and win the game

White would lose the game: Black would get to the end first

I don't know: it's too hard for me to work out
Congratulations, Kiddo!!

You have now completed the final lesson about PAWNS.
You'll soon be able to move on and take the part of a different soldier in the army.

But first you and I are have some more battles to fight. When you've completed these assignments you'll be able to learn about the other pieces.

Awesome! I'm ready to take you on!
I'd like to play Fishy again first
I'd like to repeat the lesson first please
I'll do it later if you don't mind - I have to go now
I'm too stupid to learn about the other soldiers