Chess 101: The Pawn Chess Piece

May 16, 2011
Tags: Chess 101, Learning Chess Articles

Pawn Chess Piece

The pawn chess piece is often the most overlooked of all of the chess pieces. The piece itself is very simple. On most chess sets, the pawn chess piece is the smallest piece on the board. Each player begins a chess game with eight pawns, standing in front of their other eight chess pieces.

How A Pawn Chess Piece Moves

Pawns are both simple and complex in their movements. The pawn piece has the fewest options of any chess piece on the board in where it can move and it can only move forward until it reaches the other side of the board. Here are a few things to know about how a pawn chess piece moves:

• Pawn chess pieces can only directly forward one square, with two exceptions.
• Pawns can move directly forward two squares on their first move only.
• Pawns can move diagonally forward when capturing an opponent’s chess piece.
• Once a pawn chess piece reaches the other side of the chess board, the player may “trade” the pawn in for any other chess piece if they choose.

Pawn Names & Terms

Not all pawns are created equal. Each pawn is named after piece behind it. For example, the two outer pawns are called “Rook Pawns”, while the pawns in from of the King and Queen at the start of a game are called “King Pawn” and “Queen Pawn” respectively. In addition, pawns on each side of the board are named. This is to help clarify which pawn is which, when referring to a Bishop Pawn, Knight Pawn or Rook Pawn. The pawns on the Queen’s side of the board are called Queen side and the pawns on the King’s side of the board are called King side. For example, at the start of the game, the pawn on the far left side would be called the QR-pawn (Queen Rook Pawn). The pawn second from the right at the start of the game would be called the KN-pawn (King Knight Pawn).

Often, pawns are referenced as opposition. Your opponent’s pawn directly across the board from your own pawn is called the “Counterpawn”. Each pawn on your board begins the game with it’s own counterpawn. At the start of the game, all pawns are considered “unfree”, or not able to reach the opposite side of the board because of it’s counterpawn. Once it’s counterpawn has been captured, the pawn is then considered “half-free”.

Each pawn on the board also has opposing pawns called “sentries”. Sentries are the opponent’s pawn chess pieces that sit directly across from it, but are to the left and right by one square. These pawns are the pieces your opponent could use to capture your pawn. While sentries can make it difficult for your pawn to cross the board, their obstruction of your piece is not absolute.

Each of your own pawn chess pieces has “helpers”. These are it’s neighboring pawn pieces that can be used to help the pawn chess piece cross the board. When trying to reach the other side of a board, a pawn piece is known as a “candidate”. In most cases, your candidate piece would advance first, followed by its helper pieces, trying to ensure it’s safety.

Once the sentries of a pawn piece have been captured, the pawn is now considered “free”. This means it no longer has any opposing pawns in it’s path to reaching the other side of the board.

The Pawn Ram

When two pawns meet at squares directly in front of each other, they are considered part of a “ram”. In basic terms, a ram occurs when two pawn pieces are blocking each other’s movements across the board. When helper pawns get involved, a ram can be broken, allowing the pawn chess piece to move forward. Avoiding rams is important when attacking an opponent as it eliminates your ability to use the pawn in the attack.

Pawns can be very useful tools as you play the game of chess. Gaining a more in-depth understanding of how to use pawns in chess is crucial to becoming a better chess player. Here are some great books we recommend for studying pawn play in chess:

• Understanding Pawn Play in Chess by Drazen Marovic
• Pawn Power in Chess by Hans Kmoch
• Secrets of Pawn Endings by Karsten Miller & Frank Lamprecht