What is Passed pawn in chess?
A pawn with no enemy pawns able to block or capture it on its way to promotion.
Passed pawns are dangerous because they threaten to promote. 'Passed pawns must be pushed' is a classic piece of endgame advice.
Spot passed pawn in your own games
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Analyze my games →More chess terms
- Pawn chainA diagonal line of pawns where each pawn defends the one in front of it.
- Pawn majorityHaving more pawns than the opponent on one side of the board.
- Minority attackAdvancing fewer pawns to break up a larger enemy pawn group and create a weakness.
- Open fileA file with no pawns on it at all - a highway for rooks.
- Half-open fileA file with an enemy pawn on it but no friendly pawn - still useful for rooks.
- Open positionA position with few pawns in the centre, many open lines, and active tactical play.