AIBU to ask a Chess expert to help settle a game dispute?

[Celestia26]

Any chess experts out there?

DH and I are playing a game of chess. DH insists pawns can attack on the first move (ie move one square diagonally in either direction to the front). However a close friend of mine who is imo much better at chess and has been playing longer, says a pawn cannot use its first move to attack. DH is getting quite argumentative about it now.

The Internet is fuzzy on this point. I cannot find any reputable source that says a pawn can or cannot attack on the first move.

Help, we're close to divorce over this!!

I think you’re right

A pawn can move 2 spaces forward on it's first move, instead of the usual 1. But it cannot move diagonally. It can only do that to take the opponents piece.

A pawn can capture on it's first move. I presume that's what you mean by "attack".

The rules of chess are available on-line in adult language rules.fide.com/images/stories/Laws_of_Chess_2018_-EB_approved-_clean_version.pdf
or kid language
www.chesscorner.com/tutorial/learn.htm

The rule is you can't use the two square first move to capture i.e. one square forward and then one diagonally. You can capture with one diagonal square move though.

Pieces don't 'attack'. They move, or they capture. For all the pieces except pawns, these moves are the same. You're just confusing the issue by thinking that there's a special 'attack' move.

And for what it's worth, yes pawns can capture on their first move (one square diagonally forward) but it's rare because the opponent would have to move a piece to their 6th rank for this to be possible.

Interesting. I have never heard this rule and I was very into chess as a kid. As in read books about it for fun. However, my husband has heard of this rule and is adamant that a pawn cannot move diagonally as its first move to take a piece. We're not actually arguing about it though...

Maybe your husband means it can't move two squares diagonally forward to capture. This is correct. (And I don't want to out myself, but I am highly qualified to answer!)

How does a piece get far enough on its first move to be captured? (haven't played for years)

It is my belief a pawn can capture on its first move.
I have never heard of a rule saying it can't and I think I probably would have (played for my college at university)

I used to play to a fairly high level as a child and I've never heard if this. It sounds like something someone has made up and other people have copied. Castling wouldn't be worth it if this was the rule because the line of pawns wouldn't offer any sort of defence, particularly against a knight.

Sorry used the wrong word. I meant capture, not attack.

FraterculaArctica I understand what you are saying but I don't think it's a rare move to have to make. I think I'm probably not explaining myself properly.

Say you've a had a pawn sat there for a while that hasn't made its first move yet, my question is that if there is an opponents piece that moves into the square diagonal to it, can that pawn (which hasn't been moved yet) use its first move to capture that piece?

Pawns can capture a piece on their first play. They cannot capture a piece as the first move of the game however as nothing can be threatened on the first move.

If a pawn captures on its first play, it cannot move two spaces after.

The pawn can also capture en passant, when it is on rank 5 and the opposing pawn is adjacent R4, by moving diagonally to R6 behind the pawn captured.

I came here to say "en passant". I love saying it in real life as well. It drives my husband wild (in the annoying sense, not the sexy one).

Celestial yes exactly. It can capture but this will not be on the first move of the game, just the first move for that pawn. As you say this could be much later in the game, even in the endgame. And there are some common patterns (particularly exchanges of pieces on the 3rd or 6th rank of the Knights' files). I would not expect novice players to reach such positions very often though!

hiddenmnetter there are of course various other conditions that must be met for en passant to be legal.

FraterculaArctica That settles it thank you! I will have to (grudgingly) tell my husband he is correct!

Say you've a had a pawn sat there for a while that hasn't made its first move yet, my question is that if there is an opponents piece that moves into the square diagonal to it, can that pawn (which hasn't been moved yet) use its first move to capture that piece?

Yes. I thought that was the whole point of chess.

A pawn that has not been moved from its original position can take an opponent on its first move, diagonaly one square in the normal way.

Your husband is correct.

Yes pawns can capture on their first move. If something moves into a place, that is one diagonal from them. In fact it's a key element of an effective defence. If you castle a king you want to protect its vanguard and this is often achieved by leaving the flank pawns in place.

Another pawn move to note is 'En Passant'. If you want to give him something to think about, look this up and use it. It sounds as though it will counter some of his play style. It's a great move to pull on those who are not aware of it.

Thank you. Oh thank you. I asked DH about 10 minutes ago and he's still running through every possible permutation of when this can happen and who played it in which match since 1956. Cheers for that.

Thanks everyone. DH is very pleased unbearably smug