Endgame
Passed pawn
A pawn with no enemy pawns able to block or capture it on its way to promotion.
A passed pawn is a long-term asset because it threatens to promote. In the endgame it can tie down enemy pieces or simply queen.
Aron Nimzowitsch's advice still holds: a passed pawn is a criminal that should be kept under lock and key — or pushed hard, depending on which side of it you are.
Why it matters
Endgames are frequently decided by who has the more dangerous passed pawn and whose king can stop it.
The mistake everyone makes
Pushing a passed pawn too early with no support, letting the enemy king or a piece round it up.
Related terms
Pawn structure
The arrangement of the pawns, which shapes the plans available to both sides.
Promotion
A pawn reaching the last rank becomes any piece you choose — almost always a queen.
King activity
In the endgame the king becomes a strong piece and should march toward the action.
Endgame
The final phase of the game, once most pieces are traded off and the king becomes an active fighting piece.
Read more
The pawn structure decides your plan — read it before you move
Isolated pawns, hanging pawns, passed pawns: the shape of the pawns tells you what to do next. Learn to read it and you'll stop playing planless moves.
The endgames every improver should know
You'll reach the same handful of endings again and again. Knowing these turns half-points into wins.
See Passed pawn in your own games
Play the engine, train tactics, and analyse your games — ChessRanger points out these patterns as they come up so the word turns into a skill. Free to start.
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