Promotion

How does promotion work?

When a pawn reaches the last rank, it turns into a queen, a rook, a bishop or a knight, your choice. That's called promotion, and it decides many endgames.

In these puzzles it's about clearing the way for the pawn: driving off the piece that blocks it, deflecting the one that guards the promotion square, or giving check so the pawn gets through in time. Sometimes a queen isn't even best. A knight that gives check can be stronger, and choosing anything other than a queen is called underpromotion.

A passed pawn on the sixth or seventh rank is worth much more than a pawn on its starting square. Calculate every move that brings it closer to the goal.

How the puzzles work

There are 150 puzzles here. Choose a level above the board. Within each level the puzzles get harder and harder, and when you come back you pick up where you left off.

Your opponent makes the first move, then it's your turn. If you get stuck, Hint shows which piece to move, and Show the solution plays the rest. The theme only shows once the puzzle is done, but here you already know what you're looking for.

In Puzzle training you get puzzles in this theme at your own level, and see how you're doing in each theme.

More puzzles

• Mate in one
• Mate in two
• Mate in three
• Fork
• Pin
• Skewer
• Discovered attack
• Double check
• Sacrifice
• Deflection
• Attraction
• Hanging piece
• In-between move
• Back-rank mate
• Smothered mate
• Endgame
• Rook endgames
• Pawn endgames
• Zugzwang

The puzzles come from Lichess, fetched on October 2, 2026.

Updated November 6, 2026