Promotion
What a pawn becomes at the far end of the board
A pawn that reaches the far end of the board is promoted: as part of the same move, it is exchanged for a queen, a rook, a bishop or a knight of its own colour. You choose, and nearly everyone chooses a queen.
The rules
- A white pawn promotes on the eighth rank, a black pawn on the first.
- The pawn must be exchanged. It cannot stay a pawn, and it cannot become a king.
- The choice does not depend on what you have lost. You may have two queens, or more, on the board at once.
- The new piece works at once. It can give check, even checkmate, on the very move it appears.
- A pawn can promote by moving straight forward onto the last rank, or by capturing diagonally onto it.
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A queen is almost always best, because she is the strongest piece. Choosing anything else is called underpromotion, and it is rare, but it happens. A knight can give a check that no queen could, and sometimes a new queen would leave the other side with no legal move, which is stalemate and only a draw.
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On La Reina's board
When your pawn reaches the last rank, a small picker opens on the square with the four pieces to choose from.
La Reina's School · Unit 4: The special rules · Free Lesson: Promotion A pawn that reaches the end becomes a queen. Learn it on the board with La Reina: open the game and tap La Reina's School.