Lessons Library
Special Moves: Castling, En Passant, and Promotion
Learn the three special chess moves every player must know.
Castling
Castling moves the king two squares toward a rook, and the rook moves to the square the king crossed.
- The king and chosen rook must not have moved before.
- No pieces may stand between them.
- The king may not be in check, move through check, or finish in check.
En Passant
When an enemy pawn advances two squares from its starting square and lands beside your pawn, your pawn may capture it as if it had moved one square. This option is available only on the immediately following move.
Promotion
When a pawn reaches the last rank, it promotes to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight of the same color. A queen is usually strongest, but underpromotion can be correct in special positions.