Chess
My younger sister is here for the weekend, with her 9 year old son.

He's become interested in chess, and was asking me about how the various pieces move. I'm not that much of an expert on the subject, and some of his school friends were insisting that a pawn could take a piece directly in front of it in some cases.

I'm not sure about that, but I know there are some strange cases where pieces can move in a different way.

So, cue sister walking in whilst I say: "Look, I'm not sure, just search for pawn in google, and that should tell you".

Oops.
(Mucky has squinted at the screen with one eye shut since, Sun 4 Jan 2009, 13:10, 8 replies)

It can. sort of Its called "en passon" or something like that
When a pawn moves two spaces forward, another pawn can take it by attacking the space behind it. All pawns can move two spaces forward once* in the game provided they haven't taken anything yet. If a pawn does this the space behind it can be used by any other piece as it only counts as a capture if a opposing pawn moves diagonally into this space.

Oh and telling a 9 year old to search for pawn. really.


*some people maintain only as the first move they make. I'm not sure who is right about this though.

EDIT: its En-passant en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_passant
( willenium Fist bump for verification, Sun 4 Jan 2009, 13:22, closed)

It's only as the first move
On their first move, each pawn may be moved forwards one - or two spaces.

On subsequent moves, they may only advance one square at a time.
(EuroSong I love horse meat: best of all the animals, Sun 4 Jan 2009, 14:07, closed)

Ah ok
I don't play chess very often these days
( willenium Fist bump for verification, Sun 4 Jan 2009, 16:31, closed)

"a pawn could take a piece directly in front of it in some cases."
Nope.

But there are games that are derived from the same original game as chess, where the pawn does.
(apeloverage committed the vile act of onanism on, Sun 4 Jan 2009, 17:46, closed)

I've seen plays
where, when a pawn is directly infront of an opposing piece, it moves diagonally to the left/right, and takes the piece - how does this work (note that it is not standard pawn move)
(bamboozled Can hear you getting fatter, Mon 5 Jan 2009, 20:03, closed)

easy
a pawn can only capture by moving diagoally.


Mind you, I only know the basic moves and have probably set myself up for some right proper flaming.
(misskitty reeks of sex and turpentine; laudanum afternoons, Tue 6 Jan 2009, 2:46, closed)

Basic moves.
Yes, I too only knew the basic moves, and then decided to searched for pawn in Google... by gum, that was an eye opener...
(Mucky has squinted at the screen with one eye shut since, Tue 6 Jan 2009, 12:45, closed)

Not quite
The pawn moves one square forward only, other than first move which can be one or two squares forward.
It can capture pieces one square diagonally in front of it on either side.

"En passant" ('in passing'):
When a pawn moves two spaces on its first move and lands adjacent to an enemy pawn (thus by-passing the opportunity for the enemy pawn to take it had it moved only one square at a time), then the enemy pawn may move diagonally forward in front of the original pawn and take it off the board - despite the fact that the enemy pawn does not occupy the same square as the original pawn to do so. The 'en passant' capture by the enemy pawn move can only be made immediately after the original pawn's move - after that, it's not permitted.

It is a bit confusing - like castling. And both are a lot easier to explain with a demonstration than in writing. Which is why I should have linked to the Wikipedia page in the first place and saved myself the bother...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/En_passant
(annexed, Tue 6 Jan 2009, 12:57, closed)