Pawn Promotion Rules
How a humble pawn transforms into the most powerful piece on the board.
Published 2026-02-01 | Last verified 2026-02-12
Professor Archer says: There is something deeply poetic about pawn promotion. The smallest, most limited piece on the board - the one that can only move forward, one square at a time - makes a journey across the entire battlefield and emerges transformed. I tell my students: every pawn is a queen waiting to happen. Treat them with respect from the very first move.
What Is Pawn Promotion?
Pawn promotion is one of the most exciting moments in a chess game. When a pawn reaches the opposite end of the board - the eighth rank for White, or the first rank for Black - it must immediately be replaced by another piece of the same colour. The pawn cannot remain a pawn, and it cannot stay on that square as-is.
You may promote the pawn to a queen, rook, bishop, or knight. There are no other options. You cannot promote to a king, and the pawn does not become another pawn. The promotion happens as part of the same move - you do not get an extra turn.
The newly promoted piece takes effect immediately. If you promote to a queen and that queen delivers check or even checkmate, it counts right away. The promoted piece can be captured by the opponent on their next turn just like any other piece on the board.
A Pawn About to Promote
In this position, White's pawn on e7 is one square away from promotion. On the next move, White can push the pawn to e8 and choose any piece. Since Black still has pieces on the board, promoting to a queen gives White an overwhelming material advantage.
Notice that the pawn on e7 is passed - no black pawn can stop it from advancing. Creating and pushing passed pawns is one of the most fundamental endgame strategies. The entire structure of many endgames revolves around getting a pawn safely to the promotion square.
White's pawn on e7 is one step from promotion. Pushing to e8=Q creates a new queen.
Choosing the Right Piece
In the vast majority of cases, you should promote to a queen. The queen is the most powerful piece, combining the movement of both the rook and the bishop. Promoting to a queen almost always gives you a decisive advantage.
However, there are rare situations where promoting to a different piece - called underpromotion - is the correct choice. The most common underpromotion is to a knight, because a knight can deliver check from squares a queen cannot reach due to the knight's unique jumping ability. Sometimes a knight promotion delivers an immediate fork or checkmate that a queen promotion would miss.
Promoting to a rook or bishop is even rarer. This usually occurs in specific endgame positions where promoting to a queen would result in stalemate - an unintended draw. By promoting to a rook instead, you maintain the attack while leaving the opponent a legal move, avoiding the stalemate trap.
Yes, you can have two queens, three rooks, or any other combination. There is no limit to how many of a given piece you can have through promotion.
How Promotion Works Step by Step
- Advance the pawn to the last rank - Move your pawn to the eighth rank (for White) or the first rank (for Black). This can be a normal one-square advance or a capture that lands on the promotion rank.
- Choose your new piece - Immediately select which piece the pawn becomes: queen, rook, bishop, or knight. In tournament play, you physically replace the pawn with the chosen piece. Online, a selection menu appears.
- The new piece is active immediately - The promoted piece can give check, control squares, and participate in the position from the moment it appears. Your opponent responds to the board as it now stands, with the new piece in place.
- The opponent responds - After promotion, your opponent makes their move as normal. They may need to deal with a check from the new piece, or they may try to capture it. The game continues with the promoted piece on the board.
Pawn Promotion Questions
Can you have two queens at the same time?
Absolutely. If you promote a pawn to a queen while your original queen is still on the board, you have two queens. There is no limit to the number of any piece you can have through promotion. Theoretically, you could have nine queens.
Can a pawn promote by capturing?
Yes. If a pawn captures a piece that is on the last rank, the pawn promotes as part of that same capturing move. You still choose which piece it becomes.
What if the promotion piece is not physically available?
In over-the-board play, if you do not have a spare queen, you can use an upside-down rook to represent a queen, or ask the arbiter for a piece from another set. The lack of a physical piece does not prevent promotion.
Is promotion mandatory?
Yes. When a pawn reaches the last rank, it must promote. You cannot choose to leave it as a pawn. The promotion is a compulsory part of the move.
Professor Archer says: Here is a practical tip: in almost every game, if you can promote a pawn, promote to a queen. Underpromotion is fascinating and occasionally necessary, but ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the queen is the right choice. Save the knight promotions for when you actually see the tactic. Otherwise, take the queen and win the game.
Quick Quiz
White has a pawn on d7 and Black's king is on f8. What is the best promotion choice?
- Promote to a queen (Correct) - Correct. Promoting to a queen gives White the most powerful piece and a winning position. There is no stalemate risk here since Black's king has legal moves.
- Promote to a knight for a fork - While knight promotions can be clever, there is no fork available here. The queen is strictly stronger and wins the game immediately.
- Promote to a rook to avoid stalemate - Stalemate is not a concern in this position because the black king has legal moves available. The queen is the best choice.
- Promote to a bishop - A bishop promotion would be significantly weaker than a queen. There is no tactical reason to choose a bishop in this position.