En Passant

Something which I think should be clarified, simply because I felt the need to look it up (indicating that the beginner may not clearly understand it,) is that a capture made "En passant" is in fact that player's move for the turn. While En passant is a special condition, it is special only in opportunity, and does not generate a bonus move.

http://www.chess.com/chessopedia/view/en-passant

I take it as a way of pawn to pawn capture.

Not to sound rude, but what indicated to you that it was a bonus move? I've reread the article and can't see anything that would give me the impression the move was an extra one to do. Asking because I've known the rule for a while and might be missing something that a new player might see that I don't.

It was unclear to me that capturing the pawn was the next player's move. Keep in mind I am a novice, and this is my first serious foray into reference material.

I've never played a person that was clear on the move or anyone that used it. It seems plausible that if the pawn moved to a position where an En passant capture could result, that it was an immediate penalty and might not constitute the capturing player's actual turn. I wanted to verify that it was, in fact, the entire allowable turn's move, so it seemed to me that someone else might have the same question.

I'm not faulting the article or its author, just bringing a doubt in my own mind to light with complete clarification. I merely added a link to the encyclopedia so that any other novice reading my post would be able to easily find the term I was referencing.

En Passant was one of the rule changes made around the 13th to 16th century, IIRC. This was also when the rule change that allowed pawns to move 2 squares on the first move was created. EP was put in place to maintain some of the limitations that the previously slow moving pawns endured.

Seeing as this is the reason for the rule, there is no reason that EP would be considered a "free" move.

I've never understood why the en passant rule is so difficult to understand for some people.  When a pawn advances two squares on its first move and lands on a square on the same rank next to an opposing pawn, the opposing pawn can capture that pawn and ends up on the square behind the pawn that moved two squares.  And finally, en passant can only be used by the opposing player on the very next move.  If a different move is made, en passant can't be used later.

For some reason, there seems to be quite a bit of confusion regarding these rules with a lot of people new to chess, and even some who have been playing a while.