Pawn promotion in chess
How to play chess
What happens when a pawn reaches the end of the board?
When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board, it must become another piece. This is called promotion. You choose a queen, rook, bishop or knight of your own colour. You cannot keep it as a pawn, and you cannot choose a king.
| ● | |||||||
| ♙ | |||||||
| ♚ | ♔ |
The green dots show where the piece can go; a green frame is a capture.
The rules
- Nearly everyone chooses a queen, the strongest piece, so promotion is often called "queening".
- You can have more than one queen. Pawn promotion is one of the reasons endgames are so exciting.
- Choosing a knight or another piece instead of a queen is called underpromotion. It is rare, but sometimes it is the only way to win or to avoid stalemate.
- The new piece appears on the promotion square and can move on your next turn.
Common mistakes
- Forgetting that the pawn must be promoted, you cannot stay a pawn.
- Pushing a pawn to the last row when it gives the opponent stalemate.
Remember
Reach the end, and your pawn turns into a queen (or any piece but a king).