{"id":386,"date":"2021-02-14T22:53:33","date_gmt":"2021-02-14T22:53:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/?p=386"},"modified":"2021-02-14T22:53:33","modified_gmt":"2021-02-14T22:53:33","slug":"what-is-a-passed-pawn-in-chess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/what-is-a-passed-pawn-in-chess\/","title":{"rendered":"The Passed Pawn Explained (Types, Examples &#038; Values)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"wpwc-reading-time\">&#x2B50;&#x2B50;&#x2B50; Take  3  minutes to read and improve your chess game &#x27A1;&#xFE0F; : This article was first published on, and is Copyright of Chessquestions.com<\/p>\n<p>We all know <a href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/how-do-chess-pieces-move\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"205\">how far pawns can move<\/a> in the game of chess. Now I hear the term &#8216;passed pawn&#8217; &#8211; So, time to go investigate and find out what a passed pawn is in the game of chess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>The passed pawn is a pawn that has no opposing pawns in front to prevent it from advancing to the eighth rank on the board for promotion. A passed pawn is not entirely safe, however, as advancement is still fraught with danger from other pieces on the board.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So let&#8217;s take a closer look and see if creating passed pawns is something that we should consider in the overall attacking strategy in chess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Power of the Passed Pawn | Chess Middlegames\" width=\"720\" height=\"405\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/sl6DenC3zQc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>Types of Passed Pawn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol><li>Outside Passed Pawn<\/li><li>Protected Passed Pawn<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The simple differentiation of the two type is that one is protected by another pan or another piece, and the other is not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is of course possible that an outside pawn, that is a pawn toward the outside of the board, say <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/how-to-set-up-chessboard\/\"  title=\"files\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">files<\/a> a, b or g, h could be a protected pawn too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Passed-Pawn-example-1024x683.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-393\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Passed-Pawn-example-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Passed-Pawn-example-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Passed-Pawn-example-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Passed-Pawn-example.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>An outside passed pawn on the a file which also happens to be protected.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>You tend to find the passed pawn more frequently on the outside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unhindered by the action in the middle of the board, if you can quietly go about strategizing the removal of opposing <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/chess-piece-names\/\"  title=\"pieces\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">pieces<\/a> with the sole purpose of trying to create a passed pawn if the occasion arises, you become exponentially more powerful in attack<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Why is a Passed Pawn Important in Chess?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A passed pawn can be considered important in a <a href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/the-6-ways-a-game-of-chess-will-be-drawn\/\">game of chess<\/a> because with less opposition there is a higher chance that the pawn can be advanced to the eighth rank and be promoted to a queen which has obvious advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Should your opponent manage to create a passed pawn, you should ignore it at your peril, as Aron, Nimzowitsch said&#8230;..<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-container-1 wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-rounded\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"375\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pawn-quote-block-image.png\" alt=\"en passant pawn\" class=\"wp-image-339\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pawn-quote-block-image.png 375w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pawn-quote-block-image-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/pawn-quote-block-image-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large\"><p>&#8220;A <strong>passed pawn<\/strong> is a criminal which should be kept under lock and key. Mild measures, such as police surveillance, are not sufficient.&#8221;<\/p><cite>&#x2014; Aron Nimzowitsch<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\"\/>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The deeper into the game you are the bigger danger the passed pawn presents, as in the <a href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/can-chess-end-with-two-kings\/\">end game<\/a> it is likely that less opposition will be around to defend the promotion, or, heaven forbid the promoted piece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What is a Passed Pawn Worth?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The benefits of a passed pawn are plain to see, with potential <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/pawn-promotion-extra-queens\/\"  title=\"promotion\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">promotion<\/a> on the cards, your opponent is forced to defend, this increases your pawns power and value instantly it qualifies as a passed pawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is an accepted value for each chess piece; consider a normal pawn is worth one, you attribute a <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/chess-pieces-symbolism-shape\/\"  title=\"minor piece\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">minor piece<\/a> three, and rooks five. Queens are a nine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-subtle-pale-green-background-color has-background\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Value<\/th><th>Pieces<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">1<\/td><td>Pawns<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">3<\/td><td>Minor Pieces<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">5<\/td><td>Rooks<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">3-5<\/td><td>Passed Pawns<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">9<\/td><td>Queen<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">3-9<\/td><td>Promoted Pawn<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A passed pawn becomes instantly more valuable than one. It is now in a strong position to become a nine and has higher-valued pieces scrambling to defend a possible promotion<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>How Do You Make a Passed Pawn?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Creating a passed pawn is not a single <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link \" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/chess-strategy\/\"  title=\"strategy\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">strategy<\/a> and there is no specific way to go about achieveing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The obvious way is my removing the opposing pawns by capture and utilizing your pawns in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3>How to identify the opportunity for a passed pawn.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Creating a passed pawn comes more from an opportunity than planning. As I mentioned before, setting out to create passed pawns should not really be the main strategy, but the opportunity to benefit should be something you are skilled in identifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It would be laborious to read this in full and there are better authors who can produce clearer instruction, so let me refer you back to the video above the excellent &#8216;Hanging Pawns&#8217; YouTube channel who will provide you with some great examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-large\"><p><span class=\"has-inline-color has-theme-palette-2-color\">Black passed pawns travel faster than white<\/span><\/p><cite>Unknown<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Of course, the quote above believed to have come from the Manhattan Chess club is not true, but it can feel like the case when <a href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/20-possible-opening-moves-in-chess\/\">playing white and having your first move<\/a> advantage disassembled by a black passed pawn approaching your 1st rank<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>The 8 Passed Pawns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can one or two passed pawns in a game you&#8217;ve not found yourself a bad position. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How about having five and your opponent three, totalling eight passed pawns looking for promotion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Watch how this game between Nigel Short and Boris Gelfand develops, and how winning moves were missed over and over before white emerged victorious by <a class=\"wpil_keyword_link\" href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/when-to-resign\/\"  title=\"resignation\" data-wpil-keyword-link=\"linked\">resignation<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The &quot;Famous&quot; Eight Passed Pawns Game\" width=\"720\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vBIt_IB5f84?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2>Is En passant and Passed Pawns the Same?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite some articles and YouTube videos, using &#8216;passed pawns&#8217; as another description for En Passant, they refer to two very different things in chess. They are not the same, and if you understand the two, you&#8217;d be hard pressed to confuse them with each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/en-passant-rule-in-chess\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"64\">En Passant is a special pawn capture move<\/a> which often results in a passed pawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As explained in the En Passant Guide, the rule was introduced to Chess as a way of counter-acting the speed with which passed pawns could be created after the 2 square first move was introduced in the 15th century.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#x2B50;&#x2B50;&#x2B50; Take 3 minutes to read and improve your chess game &#x27A1;&#xFE0F; : This article was first published on, and is Copyright of Chessquestions.com We all know how far pawns can move in the game of chess. Now I hear the term &#8216;passed pawn&#8217; &#8211; So,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":392,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false},"categories":[6,4],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=386"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3131,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/386\/revisions\/3131"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/392"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=386"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=386"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chessquestions.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=386"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}