Are Pawns the Weakest or the Strongest?
Well, you never know!
Pawns have 2 superpowers: Pawn Promotion & En Passant.
A pawn when reaches the first row of the opponent’s side, can become any other chess piece – Knight, Bishop, Rook, and even a Queen (not King though). In chess, this is called a Pawn Promotion!
Today, we will learn how you can promote a pawn & use this superpower to win at chess!
How to Promote a Pawn?
Pawn Promotion is one of the special moves in chess.
It happens when a Pawn reaches the opponent’s back rank (first row of the opponent) and then it is replaced by any piece a player decides to, except The King.
To promote a pawn –
- Lead your pawn up to your 7th rank,
- Move your pawn forward (or diagonally) &
- Replace it with the piece you want.
Note:
- Only pawns can be promoted.
- Promoting a Pawn is not restricted to the captured pieces. You can have 2 or more queens & so on.
- Pawns can’t be promoted to pawns.
Queening = Promoting your Pawn → Queen
UnderPromotion = Promoting your Pawn → Other than Queen (Rook, Bishop or Knight)
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Pawn Promotion?
Pawn Promotion is a special move where the Pawn can be promoted to a piece when it reaches the opposite side of the board (8th rank/back rank).
Why should you promote a Pawn?
To increase your army! Both players start with 8 pieces & 8 pawns & struggle to win, but what if you get two or maybe more pieces in your army? Promoting a Pawn helps you do that.
Can you promote a pawn to a second Queen??
Yes. You can have 2 or more queens or any other piece you want (except Pawn & the King)
Pawn Promotion is a very common strategy to win at chess in endgames!
Therefore, passed pawns are so dangerous in endgames – be afraid of them & calculate properly.
Feel free to share this mini guide to a friend & drop your thoughts and questions in the comments.
Keep playing, keep promoting!