en passant

Hey Folks-

     I'm getting back into training and playing after over a years absence. While I've been beaten both games I've played here, I'm learning a lot. I decided to go back to the very beginning and review all of my basic texts since I've been making some very fundamental mistakes. While engaging in pawn review problems, I came across that age old rule of en passant. In looking back at my games (every game that I've ever played and recorded), I realized that I never captured (or found the opportunity to capture) en passant. Have any of you used this rule or know of any games off of the top of your head (I'm too lazy to go through my chessbase database) where this has happened? I'd like to get some input on this....Thanks....Hugh

I've used it a couple of times recently in games here.  One game to gain winning advantge and another game just because it was cool and didn't really weaken my position.

It comes up every now and then. There was a Daily Puzzle a couple of months ago that seemded impossible until you realized there must be an en passant capture. I've had a couple of games where I wanted my opponents to take en passant(because they could) and they did, leading to a winning position for me. 

Yes it seems to come up in my games a fair bit, for some reason.

I play the Caro-Kann Defence quite a lot, and in the advance variation, there's a white pawn on e5 and a black pawn on e6. Then if I want (or need) to push the f-pawn to f5, white often takes en passant on f6. If I've castled kingside (and I probably wouldn't play f5 if I hadn't) then I usually have a choice of recapturing with the rook or the dark squared bishop.

It's something everyone needs to bear in mind; if it comes out of nowhere, the best laid plans (otherwise) can fall to pieces.

Beware of en passant in the Tactics Trainer

An opportunity to capture that way is featured from time to time in the problems found in the Tactics Trainer. For me it's really difficult to spot there because you begin from a random (timed) position and I always seem to miss it. Admittedly, opportunities to capture en passant have been rare for me in my OTB games, but our Tactics Trainer here can help train you to see en passant opportunities when they finally do appear. I really recommend TT to you since you're getting back into training... Cheers!

I have Chess Mentor. Is this the same as the tactics trainer? Or am I thinking of something else? I've noticed that the en passant rule can land you into a loosing position if you are haphazard in it's use.

Here is a game I played the other day with an en passant capture on move 11.

Hey D_Morphy:

     Thank you! That was a very interesting game and very informative as well. It provided some great learning for me. Thanks again...Hugh

Nice example! I was in a tourny, and doing well. I had a game I thought in the bag. Then this magic, cheating, horrible thing happened. En friggin' Passent! It only took that one loss for it to stick hard in my brain. Arg! It still gets me.

     I've working on positional setups with an en passant move so I get used to it. For some reason, I didn't realize it happened as much as it does.

Yes it's fairly common.  I'd say it happens in 5-10% of games.  It's always funny when a noob doesn't know about it.  The reaction is always an enraged "WTF!"

I've used it a couple of times..comes in really handy. In a game or two, it has been the key move leading to a sweet victory :)