Chess pawn that cannot be safely advanced
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | |
| 8 | | 8 |
| 7 | 7 |
| 6 | 6 |
| 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 |
| 2 | 2 |
| 1 | 1 |
| a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | |
Black has a backward pawn on c6.
In chess, a backward pawn is a pawn that is behind all pawns of the same color on the adjacent files and cannot be safely advanced. In the diagram, the black pawn on the c6-square is backward.
