Pawn Promotion: Four Choices, Not Just Another Queen

White promotes on the eighth rank; Black promotes on the first. The new piece replaces the pawn on its arrival square as part of the same move. You cannot leave it as a pawn or choose a king.^[1]

Four choices

Your choice is not limited to captured pieces. Choosing a rook, bishop or knight instead of a queen is called underpromotion. The new piece’s effect begins immediately.^[1]

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In a tournament, ask the arbiter if the piece you need is missing. Do not assume an upside-down rook will be accepted as a queen.^[1]

A knight’s different reach

In the first diagram, White has king c6 and pawn d7; Black has king f7. White moves next. Promoting to a knight on d8 gives check; a queen on d8 does not attack f7.

This example shows movement, not a winning trick. King and knight alone cannot checkmate a lone king, so that knight promotion gives a dead-position draw.^[1]

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Can a queen do too much?

In the second position, White has king c6 and pawn c7; Black has king a7. After c8=Q, Black is not in check but has no legal move: stalemate.

Choose c8=R instead and a6 remains a legal escape. The rook avoids that immediate draw. Try both choices on a spare board and point to the difference.

Before promoting, ask whether the move is legal, what the new piece attacks and what the opponent can do next. Then finish the replacement.^[1]

Compare checkmate and stalemate if those endings are new to you.