FAQ: What happens when a pawn reaches the other side of the board?

Can you promote a pawn to a second Queen?

Yes you can. When your pawn reaches the other side of the board then you can have it replaced by any piece that you want except for another pawn or king. There is no limit on the number of pieces of the same kind.

What happens when a pawn gets to the other end of the board?

When a pawn makes its very first move it has a choice; it can either move one square or two. When a pawn reaches the other end of the board it can be changed for any other piece of its own colour, except the King. This is called promotion. Therefore, a pawn can be promoted to a Queen, a Rook, a Bishop or a Knight.

Can you have 2 queens in chess?

Yes, it is perfectly legal to have multiple queens. One can either borrow a Queen from another set or turn a Rook upside down.

Where does the piece go when a pawn reaches the other side?

When a pawn reaches the opposite side of the board, it promotes. This means that the owner of the pawn can replace it with a queen, a rook, a knight, or a bishop of his own color, and put that piece instead of the pawn on the board on the square of the pawn.

Can a promoted pawn be killed immediately?

Yes, a promoted pawn can be taken immediately, but only when you are not in check or by doing so doesn’t put your king into check. If doing so is the best possible move then you should definitely go for it.

What happens if I get my king to the other side?

When a King reaches the other side of the board ( i.e. “the 8th rank” — the farthest opposing row of the board), nothing happens. A King will remain a King. Whether the King moves to a square in the 8th rank to get out of check, or capture, or make a regular move, it remains the same piece with the same abilities.

Can a pawn capture on first move forward?

Normally a pawn moves by advancing a single square, but the first time a pawn moves, it has the option of advancing two squares. Pawns may not use the initial two-square advance to jump over an occupied square, or to capture. Any piece immediately in front of a pawn, friend or foe, blocks its advance.

Why would you not promote a pawn to a queen?

If promoting to a queen would result in stalemate, you might want to promote the pawn to a rook or bishop. If you were to promote to a queen, there would be a stalemate (thus, often a rook is substituted).

Can a pawn attack on its first move?

And yes, it can kill on its very first move either an enemy pawn or piece if it is available for taking. Nobody can take away the right of a pawn to kill in its very first move as long as it is a legal move.

What happens when a bishop reaches the other side?

A2A Under the FIDE Laws of Chess, it remains a Bishop. The only piece that is altered by reaching the other side of the board (or ‘to the rank furthest from its starting position’) is pawn, which must be exchanged for either a Queen, Rook, Bishop, or Knight of the same colour as the pawn. It remains a bishop.

Can a pawn kill a king?

A pawn can‘t kill a king single-handedly just like other pieces, but it can be involved in blocking the king and trapping it for checkmate.

How many queens are allowed in chess?

The answer is – Yes, you can have two or eight Queens, even have more of your minor chess pieces (Bishop, Rook, Knight) during your chess game. This usually happens in the middle or end game, but sometimes it can also happen in the early game as well.

Can Knights move backwards?

The Knight chess piece moves in a very mysterious way. Unlike Rooks, Bishops or Queens, the Knight is limited in the number of squares it can move across. The Knight piece can move forward, backward, left or right two squares and must then move one square in either perpendicular direction.

Why is a rook called a rook?

The word rook comes from the Persian word rukh meaning chariot. Persian War Chariots were heavily armoured, carrying a driver and at least one ranged-weapon bearer, such as an archer.

Why would you promote a pawn to a rook?

A promotion to a rook is occasionally necessary to avoid a draw by immediate stalemate that would occur if the promotion was to a queen. Promotion to a bishop almost never occurs in practical play (about one game in 33,000). Some chess sets come with an extra queen of each color to use for promoted pawns.