Explain · Like I'm five version
En passant in chess in terms of queue jumping
Do you know how to sneak to the front of a line when someone thinks they have walked past you?
In chess, there is a special move called en passant, which is like jumping ahead in a shop queue. When a white pawn moves two squares at once to hop over a black pawn, the black pawn can still choose to capture it. It is as if the black pawn reached out and tapped the white pawn on the shoulder while it was trying to zoom past. The white pawn is taken off the board, even though it did not land right next to its rival.
This rule stops people from using a big jump to hide from being caught. Imagine if you were waiting for a sticker at school, and the person in front tried to run to the front of the line in one giant leap. The teacher would tell them to come back and wait properly. En passant is the game saying that just because you are fast, it does not mean you can ignore the other pieces waiting their turn.
It keeps the game fair, just like waiting for your turn to use the slide. If you try to skip the line, the other player uses this rule to bring you back to reality. It is the perfect way to show that nobody is allowed to skip past a square without a chance of being caught. It is a bit like a secret handshake that only the pawns know how to use.
Where the analogy breaks downIn a shop queue, jumping the line is considered rude, but in chess, moving two squares is a legal move that is actually encouraged.