Pawn promotion tactics

Chess tactics

How does pawn promotion win games?

A pawn that reaches the last rank becomes a queen, rook, bishop or knight. Promotion tactics use this threat: a passed pawn two squares from the end can tie down the whole enemy army, and sometimes promoting to a knight gives a check a queen cannot.

How to spot it
  • Count the squares to promotion and the moves your opponent needs to stop it. Often the race is decided by a single tempo.
  • Look for checks that gain time, so the pawn promotes with tempo.
  • Underpromotion: a knight promotion can give check or avoid stalemate when a queen would not.
A common mistake

Racing a pawn without checking that the opponent's king can catch it. Count the squares for both sides.

Try it: real puzzles
Example 1: Black to move
Show the solution

43... Rb1+ 44. Rxb1 axb1=Q#

Example 2: White to move
Show the solution

36. Re8+ Rxe8 37. dxe8=Q#

Example 3: Black to move
Show the solution

49... c3+ 50. Kxd3 c2 51. Nf4 c1=Q

Example 4: White to move
Show the solution

33. Qxf7+ Kxf7 34. c7 b3 35. c8=Q

Train promotion puzzles in ChessPeak

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