The Chess Pawn's Special Role

King, Queen, Bishop, Knight, Rook, Pawn

The general rules for the Pawn moves should be simple, but they are not. In many ways they are more variable than even the Knight. I think that is why we saved this chess piece for the last.

The King piece moves are limited and is the most protected; The Queen piece moves aggressively and is the most functional; the Rook piece moves crosswise; the Bishop chess piece stays on the same color of squares and doesn't vary; the Knight chess piece has the most unique and unpredictable moves; but the Pawn has the most distinctive moves.

The Pawn moves in only one direction. They only move forward toward the other side. I look at them as the quiet offensive. I like the Pawn, I think, the best. I remember them as always moving up or forward toward the opposite side. Of course, the opponents pieces would look like they are moving down toward you as you are looking at the chessboard.

In the initial set up of the game all the pawns are place in the second horizontal row on their colors side. The white Pawns on the white side, the black Pawns on the black side. See the diagram at the bottom of the page for the correct chessboard set up.

The Pawns are in the front row and each Pawn has an initial first move decision to make. They can make this decision only once and then it is gone forever. This makes the Pawn a very complex chess piece. This is the decision that the Pawn has to make. This chess piece can either move ahead one square or to squares only on it's first move. After that first move, the Pawn can only move one square at a time in a forward direction always. It can never move backwards.

The Pawns in the Initial Set Up Position

Watch how the Pawn move in these two diagrams. The first diagram shows the Pawns in the initial beginning position at the start of the game.

They are in the second row on opposite sides at the start up of the game.

After the Pawns Have Moved

The White Pawns moved:

The right remained in its starting position.

The center advanced one square in its first move.

The left moved two squares in its first move.


The Black Pawns moved:

The right remained on its same square.

The center moved two squares in its first move.

The left opted to advance one square in its first move.


How would you know whether to move ahead one or two squares with the first move? How would you know which one to move ahead first? And how would you know which one needs to move one ahead and which ones need to move two ahead in their first moves?

To top it off, the way a Pawn captures, yes it can capture, is very unique. The one thing that all the chess pieces can do it capture. They just do it differently.

Initial Chessboard Set Up

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