Can I capture en passant a few moves later?

No. The chance exists only on the move straight after the enemy pawn’s two-square step. If you play something else, it is gone.

Can other pieces capture en passant?

No. Only a pawn can capture en passant, and only a pawn that has just made its two-square first move can be captured that way.

How is en passant written down?

Like a normal pawn capture onto the skipped square, for example exd6. Some players add “e.p.” to make it clear.

En passant, explained

Updated 1 October 2026

En passant (French for “in passing”) is a special pawn capture. If an enemy pawn moves two squares forward and lands right beside your pawn, your pawn may capture it as if it had moved only one square, by moving diagonally onto the square it skipped. You can only do it on the very next move.

How en passant works

All four of these have to be true:

Your pawn stands on your 5th rank (rank 5 for White, rank 4 for Black).
An enemy pawn on a neighbouring file has just moved two squares from its starting square, landing directly beside your pawn.
You capture by moving your pawn diagonally onto the square the enemy pawn skipped.
You do it on your very next move. Wait one move and the chance is gone.

The enemy pawn is removed from the board, even though your pawn didn't land on its square.

1. White's pawn is on e5. Black pushes the d-pawn two squares, from d7 to d5, right beside it.

2. White captures en passant: the e5 pawn moves to d6, the square Black's pawn skipped.

3. The black pawn on d5 is gone. White's pawn now stands on d6.

Try it yourself

Black's pawn just jumped from d7 to d5. Your pawn on e5 is selected: tap d6 to capture en passant.

Is en passant forced?

No. En passant is a choice, like any other capture. You only have to play it when it is the one legal move you have, which is rare. And as with every move, you can't play it if it would leave your own king in check.

It works for Black too

For Black, the capturing pawn must be on the 4th rank. If White then pushes a pawn two squares, say from e2 to e4, landing beside it, Black's pawn may capture by moving diagonally to e3.

White has just played e2 to e4. Black's pawn on d4 can capture en passant by moving to e3.

Why the rule exists

In early chess, pawns only ever moved one square at a time. The two-square first move came later: a Spanish manuscript from 1283 already records it. En passant was added so that a pawn couldn't use its double step to slip past an enemy pawn without risk. The capture simply treats the pawn as if it had moved one square.

Questions people ask

Is en passant forced?: No. Like any capture it is optional. The only time you must play it is when it happens to be your only legal move.
Can I capture en passant a few moves later?: No. The chance exists only on the move straight after the enemy pawn’s two-square step. If you play something else, it is gone.
Can other pieces capture en passant?: No. Only a pawn can capture en passant, and only a pawn that has just made its two-square first move can be captured that way.
How is en passant written down?: Like a normal pawn capture onto the skipped square, for example exd6. Some players add “e.p.” to make it clear.