In chess, a passed pawn is a pawn with no opposing pawns to prevent it from advancing to the eighth rank, i.e. there are no opposing pawns in front of it on the same file nor on an adjacent file. A passed pawn is sometimes colloquially called a passer. Passed pawns can be an advantage because only the opponent's pieces can prevent them from promoting.
In the diagram at right, the white pawns on b5, c4, and e5 are passed pawns. Black's pawn on d4 is a passed pawn. If Black plays fxg4, then Black will also have a passed pawn on g4, and White will have a passed pawn on f4.
Read more about Passed Pawn: Protected Passed Pawn, Outside Passed Pawn, Passed Pawns in The Endgame, Quotes
Famous quotes containing the words passed and/or pawn:
“Love took up the glass of Time, and turned it in his glowing hands;
Every moment, lightly shaken, ran itself in golden sands.
Love took up the harp of Life, and smote on all the chords with
might;
Smote the chord of Self, that, trembling, passed in music out of sight.”
—Alfred Tennyson (1809–1892)
“In ceremonies of the horsemen,
Even the pawn must hold a grudge.”
—Bob Dylan [Robert Allen Zimmerman] (b. 1941)