Promotion: when a pawn reaches the last rank

The rule

When a pawn reaches the far rank, the eighth rank for White and the first rank for Black, it must, in the same move, be exchanged for a queen, a rook, a bishop or a knight of the same color. This is called promotion, and promoting to a queen is often called queening.

• You choose freely among the four pieces. The choice isn't limited to pieces that have been captured, so you can have two queens, or three rooks.
• The pawn may not stay a pawn, and it may not become a king.
• The new piece works at once. It can give check, and even checkmate, on the same move it arrives.

Almost always a queen

The queen is the strongest piece, so in the vast majority of cases the pawn becomes a queen. But sometimes something else is better. Promoting to a rook, a bishop or a knight is called underpromotion. There are two common reasons:

• A knight can give a check or a fork where a queen can't, since the knight moves in a completely different way.
• A queen can give stalemate when your opponent has almost no moves left. A rook takes fewer squares and can save the win.

Saavedra's famous study

One of the best-known examples of underpromotion is a study from 1895. It was published in a Scottish newspaper column, and the solution was found by Fernando Saavedra. White has to win with king and pawn against king and rook, and the key is a single surprising move.

The trap on move six is worth a second look. If White promotes to a queen, Black answers Rc4+. If White takes the rook, Qxc4, Black's king on a1 has no move at all, yet it isn't in check. Stalemate, and a draw. With a rook instead of a queen there is no stalemate, and White wins.

How to promote on the board

The pawn doesn't have to be put on the last rank first. You may remove the pawn and place the new piece on the square in either order. If an enemy piece stands on the square, it must be captured. The choice is settled once the new piece has touched the square, and the move is complete when you let go of it.

If there is no spare queen in the box, it is fine at home to use something else, as long as you agree on what it is. In a tournament the right piece must be on the board: stop the clock and ask the arbiter for help.

How is promotion written?

The square the pawn reaches, an equals sign and the new piece's letter: e8=Q for a queen, e8=N for a knight. If the pawn captures something at the same time, the capture is written first: dxe8=Q.

Did you know?

• In theory a player can have nine queens at once: the original one and eight promoted pawns.
• A pawn that no enemy pawns can stop on its way forward is called a passed pawn, and it is often worth much more than an ordinary pawn.
• Promoting to a bishop is rare. The queen can move like a bishop and more besides, so a bishop is needed almost only when a queen would give stalemate.

Updated October 28, 2026