Castling, En Passant and Promotion: Chess Special Moves Explained for Kids

Once a child knows how the pieces move, three rules cause the most confusion: castling, en passant and pawn promotion. They are easy once you see them clearly. This guide explains each, with the exact conditions, so no one is caught out in a game or a tournament.

New to chess? Start with how to play chess, then come back here.

1. Castling

Castling is the only move where you move two pieces at once: the king and a rook. It does two jobs: it moves the king to safety and brings a rook into the game.

How to castle

• Kingside (short castling): the king moves two squares towards the rook on the h-file, and that rook jumps to the other side of the king. In notation: O-O.
• Queenside (long castling): the king moves two squares towards the rook on the a-file, and that rook jumps over to the other side of the king. In notation: O-O-O.

In a real game, move the king first (two squares), then the rook, so that the move is clear. In tournaments, touching the rook first can be treated as a rook move instead.

The rules for castling

You may castle only if all of these are true:

1. The king has never moved.
2. The rook you are castling with has never moved.
3. There are no pieces between the king and the rook.
4. The king is not in check now.
5. The king does not pass through or land on a square attacked by the opponent.

Note that the rook may be attacked or pass through an attacked square on queenside castling; the restriction applies to the king.

Common castling mistakes

• Moving the king earlier (even if it moved back) and then trying to castle.
• Castling out of check or through check.
• Castling with a piece still between king and rook.
• Waiting too long. Aim to castle in the first ten moves.

2. En passant

"En passant" is French for "in passing". It is a special pawn capture that surprises many beginners, but it has a simple logic: it stops a pawn from using its two-square first move to slip past an enemy pawn.

When it applies

1. Your pawn is on its fifth rank (the fifth row from your side).
2. Your opponent moves a pawn two squares from its starting square and lands right beside your pawn.
3. You may capture that pawn as if it had moved only one square, by moving diagonally behind it. The captured pawn is removed from the board.

The key rule: you must capture en passant immediately, on the very next move. If you play something else, the right is gone.

An example

White has a pawn on e5. Black plays d7-d5, landing next to White's pawn. White can capture with exd6, moving the pawn to d6 and removing the black pawn on d5.

Common en passant mistakes

• Trying it with any pawn; it only works against a pawn that just moved two squares.
• Trying it a move too late.
• Forgetting to remove the captured pawn from its original square, not the capturing pawn's landing square.

3. Pawn promotion

When a pawn reaches the last rank (the far side of the board), it must be promoted: it is replaced by a queen, rook, bishop or knight of the same colour. It cannot stay a pawn and cannot become a king. Almost always, players choose a queen, which is called "queening".

Underpromotion

Sometimes a different piece is better. Promoting to a knight can give check or fork an enemy king and queen, and promoting to a rook or bishop can avoid accidentally giving stalemate. Choosing a piece other than a queen is called underpromotion.

You can have more than one queen

If you promote a pawn while you still have your original queen, you will have two queens. Tournament boards often have an extra queen, or players use an upside-down rook as a stand-in. Before you promote, you should say which piece you are choosing.

Bonus rules every young player should know

Touch-move

In tournament games, if you touch one of your own pieces, you must move that piece (if it has a legal move). If you touch an opponent's piece, you must capture it if you legally can. If you only want to adjust a piece, say "I adjust" (or "j'adoube") before touching it. This rule trips up many first-time tournament players; see our first tournament tips.

Check must be answered

If your king is in check, your move must remove the check. A move that leaves your king in check is illegal.

Stalemate

If the player to move is not in check and has no legal move, the game is drawn. A promotion to queen at the wrong moment can accidentally cause this, which is one reason underpromotion exists.

Rule	The one-line summary
Castling	King and rook have not moved, path is clear, king not in or through check
En passant	Capture a pawn that just moved two squares, immediately or never
Promotion	A pawn reaching the last rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight
Touch-move	If you touch it, you must move it

How to practise these rules

• Set up positions on a real board and ask your child to find every legal castling move, then every illegal one and why.
• Play "en passant detective": set up two pawns and ask whether the capture is allowed.
• Race pawns to promotion in simple king-and-pawn games, like those in our endgame guide.
• Read the rules aloud in a friendly game before a first tournament.

Frequently asked questions

When can you not castle in chess?

You cannot castle if the king or that rook has moved, if there are pieces between them, if the king is in check, or if the king would pass through or land on an attacked square.

What is en passant in chess?

A special pawn capture. If an enemy pawn moves two squares and lands beside your pawn on your fifth rank, you may capture it as if it had moved one square, but only on the very next move.

Can a pawn promote to a king?

No. A pawn that reaches the last rank can become a queen, rook, bishop or knight, but never a king or a pawn.

What does touch-move mean?

In tournament chess, if you touch a piece you must move it if you can, and if you touch an opponent's piece you must capture it if you can. Say 'I adjust' before touching a piece to straighten it.

Explore The Digital Chessboard Academy

• Courses: Beginner Explorer to Champion Track
• Pricing and plans
• Meet our coaches
• The Parent Portal
• Free FIDE rating calculator
• Chess learning options compared
• Online chess academies compared
• All chess articles

Back to all articles