What is Promotion (queening) in chess?
A pawn reaching the far rank becomes any piece, almost always a queen.
Promotion is why pawn endgames matter so much. A single passed pawn that reaches the eighth rank turns into a queen and usually decides the game.
Spot promotion (queening) in your own games
Free. Chess2EZ finds the patterns you keep missing and explains each in plain English.
Analyze my games →More chess terms
- UnderpromotionPromoting a pawn to a rook, bishop, or knight instead of a queen.
- StalemateA draw where the player to move has no legal move and isn't in check.
- CheckA direct attack on the king that must be dealt with immediately.
- CheckmateThe king is in check and has no legal way to escape - the game is over.
- DrawA game that ends with no winner - both players score half a point.
- Threefold repetitionThe same position occurring three times in a game allows either player to claim a draw.