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Can a Pawn Take a King in Chess? (Full Explanation)

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Last updated: Oct 17, 2025

A close-up of a hand using a white pawn to capture a black king on a chessboard, symbolizing the question ‘Can a pawn take a king in chess?’

Is it possible to take away a king on the chess board using a pawn? It is one of the frequent questions for beginners. And the answer is easy, yes, a pawn can take a king, since it can take any piece on the board, and that means that it can checkmate the king.

However, in reality, the king is never taken captive. To describe the ability and inability of the pawns to move, to enter into a check, or to become a Queen, we will explain it step by step.

FAQ

  • No, pawns can never capture kings when trapped; it's a checkmate, but not capture.

  • Yes, pawns can check a king by attacking the piece diagonally, and when he is just one step away with the protection.

  • No, a pawn can’t checkmate the king by itself because it needs to be one step away from the king, so it needs the protection to checkmate the king.

  • Yes, a pawn can become a queen after reaching the opposition end phase and then substitute with a queen to do the checkmate.
     

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