Pawn
The foot soldier—simpler movement, unique promotion rules
The Pawn in Enochian Chess is simpler than its standard chess counterpart, but has unique promotion mechanics.
Movement
Each pawn moves one square forward in its army's direction:
Pawns move forward (blue circles) and capture diagonally (red circles). Direction depends on army.
| Army | Direction | Promotion Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Blue | North (toward rank 8) | Rank 8 |
| Red | West (toward file a) | File a |
| Black | South (toward rank 1) | Rank 1 |
| Yellow | East (toward file h) | File h |
Captures
Pawns capture one square diagonally forward (in the direction they move), just like standard chess.
Promotion
When a pawn reaches its promotion zone (see table above), it promotes. But promotion works differently:
Patron Piece
Each pawn is assigned a patron piece type at the start of the game (e.g., "pawn of the queen" or "pawn of the bishop"). Upon promotion, it becomes that piece type.
Privileged Pawn
If an army is reduced to a minimal force:
- King + Queen + Pawn
- King + Bishop + Pawn
- King + Pawn only
...the pawn becomes privileged. A privileged pawn may promote to any major piece type.
This creates fascinating endgame decisions: do you create a second queen at the cost of demoting your current one?
Summary
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Movement | One square forward (army direction) |
| Capture | One square diagonally forward |
| Double-Step | No |
| En Passant | No |
| Promotion | To patron piece (or any, if privileged) |