Rule

What Is Pawn Promotion in Chess?

Promotion is a pawn reaching the far end of the board and becoming any piece you choose, almost always a queen.

Definition

When a pawn reaches the eighth rank (or the first rank for Black), it must immediately become a queen, rook, bishop or knight of its own colour. The choice is free and unlimited. You can have two, three or nine queens on the board at once. Because a queen is far stronger than anything else, promoting to a queen is right in the overwhelming majority of cases.

Example

A white pawn on e7 with the eighth rank clear plays e8=Q, and a brand-new queen appears. If Black's king were placed so that a knight on e8 would fork it and the queen, promoting to a knight instead could be even stronger.

How to spot it

  • A passed pawn (one no enemy pawn can stop or capture) is the raw material of promotion.
  • Pawns on the seventh rank are often worth more than a minor piece.
  • Count the race carefully in king-and-pawn endgames; one tempo usually decides it.
  • The promotion square's colour matters when your opponent has only a bishop.

The mistake most players make

Automatically promoting to a queen in a position where it causes stalemate. If the opponent's king has no other legal move, a new queen can turn a win into a draw. Promoting to a rook instead sometimes avoids that.

Frequently asked questions

Can you have two queens in chess?

Yes. There is no limit on the number of queens. Every pawn that reaches the last rank may become one, so you could theoretically have nine. Tournament players usually turn a captured rook upside down when a second queen is not available.

Do you have to promote a pawn?

Yes. Promotion is compulsory when a pawn reaches the last rank. It cannot stay a pawn. You are free to choose which piece it becomes, but it must become a queen, rook, bishop or knight.

Related terms

  • Underpromotion: Underpromotion is promoting a pawn to something other than a queen, usually a knight.
  • Stalemate: Stalemate is when the player to move has no legal move and is not in check. The game is an immediate draw.
  • Opposition: The opposition is a king-versus-king standoff where the player who does not have to move controls the key squares.
  • En passant: En passant lets a pawn capture an enemy pawn that has just advanced two squares past it, as if it had moved only one.

Practise this pattern

Definitions stick once you have seen the pattern in a real game. Solve tactics puzzles to train recognition, review one of your games to find where it came up, or ask the coach to explain it in a position you are looking at.