Pandolfini's Puzzler #53: In Passing

Professor: Bonjour, class.

Class: Bonjour, to you as well, Professor.

Lucian: What’s with the French?

Thomas: Were you trying to confuse us?

Professor: No, not at all.

Zephyr: Then why use French to say good afternoon?

Ryan: Doesn’t saying it in English work?

Professor: It does indeed.

Hale: So what’s going on?

Professor: I thought it might be an appropriate way to introduce Rachel’s topic.

Ryan: Oh, that’s right. She’s going to talk about en passant.

Lucian: En passant? You mean the rule?

Zephyr: Yes, the rule that you pronounce as if it’s an English term.

Thomas: French or English: does it matter? The rule is the rule.

Ryan: Absolutely. Lucian and Zephyr are both correct.

Professor: Pronunciation aside, Rachel is going to show us some positions involving the rule.

Zephyr: Okay, we’re ready.

Professor: Rachel, would you like to begin?

Rachel: Thank you, Professor. Let’s start with an easy example.


Question 1: How does White win a rook?













Hale: You’re right. It’s easy.

Thomas: And funny, too.

Ryan: Yeah, White just forks king and rook.

Lucian: Nor does capturing en passant help.

Ryan: True, Black still loses a rook.

Rachel: Good. How about trying this one?


Question 2: How can White mate on the move?














Thomas: That’s also amusing.

Ryan: Yeah, it’s hilarious.

Zephyr: Clearly, en passant is a good thing here.

Rachel: Now you’re getting the idea. This next problem changes matters a smidgen.

Hale: Does it? I was just getting used to things.


Question 3: How can White force mate?













Hale: En passant only delays the inevitable here.

Ryan: Black has to open a file, and that’s that.

Professor: So far so good. Can we see another position?


Question 4: How does White mate in three moves?













Hale: So en passant still messes Black up.

Zephyr: Zowie! Black is forced to block an escape square.

Lucian: Yep. That’s bad news for Black.

Rachel: Let’s turn to a problem where Black has a choice of en passant captures, and neither way helps.


Question 5: How does White mate in 2 moves?













Ryan: How did this happen?

Thomas: It’s obvious. White played Ba7-b8+ and Black blundered, playing Kd6-d5.

Hale: So en passant fails doubly.

Professor: Is there one more problem in your presentation?

Rachel: Yes, Professor, and here it is.


Question 6: What should Black play?












Lucian: That’s even funnier.

Zephyr: Uh huh. Black only has one move.

Ryan: Otherwise, it would be mate, a stale one at that.

Hale: Such japery.

Professor: Moving on, thank you, Rachel. I’m sure the class appreciates your efforts.

Lucian: Yes, we do, Professor.

Zephyr: Thank you, Rachel.

Each classmate congratulated Rachel for her good work.

Thomas: So what can we say about en passant?

Lucian: Is it good or bad?

Zephyr: It’s neither. It’s just a rule of the game, even if you and Thomas mispronounce it.

Lucian: I don’t have to pronounce it the French way.

Thomas: We don’t have to pronounce it at all.

Lucian: True, we can just do it or not.

Professor: Rachel, do you have anything to add?

Zephyr: Better yet, what would you like to say to Lucian?

Rachel: How about passez une bonne journée?

Lucian: Yeah, you have a good day, too.



Answers below -- Try to solve NM Pandolfini's puzzles first!


Answer 1: White wins with a simple pawn fork, 1. c4+. And if Black plays 1…bxc3, saving the b5-rook, the a4-rook hangs, 2. Rxa4.


Answer 2: Even though both of White’s pieces are attacked twice, White salvages it all by 1. axb6 mate! It’s double check, en passant, and mate -- all in the same package.



Answer 3: With 1. b4+ axb4 2. Ra1 mate, White is able to survive Black’s en passant capture.


Answer 4: White wins by 1. b4+! axb3 (this capture blocks up the b3-square) 2. d4+ Kc4 3. Rc6 mate.


Answer 5: White mates in two moves either of two ways: 1. c4+ dxc4 2. e4 mate; or the equally good, 1. e4+ dxc4 2. c4 mate.


Answer 6: In Rachel’s last position (if it isn’t stalemate, and we’re told it’s not), Black has only one possible move: 1…dxc3. That allows 2. Ra4 mate. En passant is a culprit once again.

Take note:

For an English speaker, what is the right way to pronounce this rule?

Should we say it the French way, en passant, as Zephyr favors? Or the English/American way, en passant, as Lucian prefers?

It was Burt Hochberg (1933-2006), longtime editor of Chess Life, and also chess-and-games editor at Random House, who explained his take on the question. Burt held that both ways of pronouncing the term are quite correct, and he was very adamant about it.

As a great admirer of Burt, perhaps America’s leading authority on such matters, and my superior at four different publishing establishments, I accepted his pronouncements ex cathedra.

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