A guard pass is any technique that moves you from inside your opponent's guard to a dominant position — typically side control, north-south, or knee-on-belly. Guard passes score three points in IBJJF competition.
Guard passing strategies generally fall into two families: pressure passes (knee-slice, toreando, leg drag) that rely on controlling the hips and forcing a path through, and speed passes (leg drag around, roll-through) that create openings by moving faster than the guard player can adjust.
Passing requires managing the bottom player's active legs — their primary defensive and offensive tool. The harder they guard, the more committed you must be with your passing approach. Good guard passing is one of the hardest skills in BJJ to develop because it always meets active resistance from a skilled opponent.