The pawn’s movement is very simple, but they are capable of a special move that often causes some confusion—en passant.
It’s not very common. When I learned chess, I wasn’t taught the en passant move, and I don’t think any of the people around me knew it. A lot of casual players don’t know or use this move, but it is still a part of chess.
If you already know how the en passant capture works, you can skip the next section and go right to the main question: Can You En Passant a Queen?
What Is En Passant?
This is a special move that allows a pawn to capture a pawn that is directly to the side. To do this:
- Your pawn must be 3 rows away from your opponent’s back row
- Your opponent’s pawn must have moved 2 squares, landing next to your pawn on their last move.
Here’s what it looks like:
First board: The black pawn is 3 rows away from white’s back row. The white pawn moves 2 squares on its first move, landing next to the black pawn. Second board: The black pawn attacks diagonally forward (like always), but it attacks the square behind the white pawn, capturing it. Notice that the capture works as if the white pawn moved only 1 square instead of 2.
To capture like this, it must be done immediately after the other pawn moves 2 squares off its home square, as the white pawn did above. If black moves another piece first, the en passant capture isn’t allowed. If the home pawn moves 1 square ahead, then another square ahead on the next move, this capture isn’t allowed.
Can You En Passant a Queen, Bishop, Knight or Rook?
No. The en passant capture can only be done on pawns. If any other enemy piece moves into the same position required to en passant capture a pawn, it can’t be taken this way and the enemy king can’t be checked this way.
You also can’t make an en passant capture with any piece other than a pawn. There’s no situation where a queen, king, bishop, knight or rook captures by landing on an unoccupied square.
Pawns are the only pieces involved in an en passant capture. They do the capturing and they’re the ones getting captured.
So, no, you can’t en passant a queen. I hope this has cleared up any confusion you had about using the en passant move with any piece other than a pawn.