Promotion Tutorial



1.
[{B:64}{B:1k6/p7/32/4P3/K7 WHITE}{D:1000}{S:e2e4}{D:500}{S:e7e5}{D:500}{S:e4e5}{D:500}{S:b8b7}{D:500}{S:e5e6}{D:500}{S:b7b6}{D:500}{S:e6e7}{D:500}{S:b6a5}{D:500}{S:e7e8}{D:500}{X:e8}{P:WQe8}When a Pawn reaches the opposite side of the board it can be PROMOTED to any piece except a King.{W:PRL_001}]

2.
[{B:8/7k/6p1/P7/KP6/8/3p4/8}Normally, chess players choose to promote the Pawn to a Queen{D:2000}{A:Bd2d1}{D:3000}{R}, because that's the most powerful of all chess pieces.{S:d2d1}{D:500}{X:d1}{P:BQd1} Theoretically, if all of your Pawns made it to the other side of the board without being captured, you could actually have a total of 9 Queens on your side!{W:PRL_002}]

3.
[{B:6R1/p4P1k/4B2p/32/4K3 WHITE}However, in some situations, a player may choose to Promote his Pawn to a piece other than a Queen. This is called UNDERPROMOTION. In this set-up, when White's Pawn reaches f8{D:10500}{A:Wf7f8}{D:1000}{R}{S:f7f8}{D:1000}, he chooses to promote it to a Knight{X:f8}{P:WNf8}{D:3000}{A:Wf8h7}{H1:h7}{D:1000}{R}{C}, thereby achieving Checkmate. {W:PRL_003}]

4.
[{F:B}{B:4k3/24/p7/16/4K3 BLACK}Because of promotion, an opponent's Pawn that is unopposed is a dangerous threat. Here, the White King is too far away to capture the Black Pawn.{D:5000}{S:a4a3}{D:500}{S:e1d1}{D:500}{S:a3a2}{D:500}{S:d1c1}{D:500}{S:a2a1}{D:500}{X:a1}{P:BQa1} Black can now win the game with ease.{W:PRL_004}]

5.
[{B:rnbqkbnr/pppppppp/32/PPPPPPPP/RNBQKBNR}Remember, only Pawns can be promoted. This makes Pawns more valuable than they seem at first glance. A promotion can instantly change the balance of power in a game.{W:PRL_005}]

6.
[{B:64}{F:W}{B:kr3b2/3P3P/48}
{Q:1. White to move.{W:wtm} Which Pawn should promote first?{W:PRQ_01};
The d-Pawn;Sorry, that's not correct.{W:stnc};
The h-Pawn;Correct.{W:cor};2}]

7.
[{B:64}{F:B}{B:32/1B6/2N5/3p2p1/K7 BLACK}
{Q:2. Black to move.{W:btm} Which Pawn should promote first?{W:PRQ_01};
The d-Pawn;That's not the correct answer.{W:tnca};
The g-Pawn;That's correct.{W:tc};2}]

8.
[{B:64}{F:W}{B:k7/p1P4p/6p1/8/1p6/3n1N1P/6P1/7K}
{Q:3. White to move.{W:wtm} To what piece should White promote?{W:PRQ_04};
Knight;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Bishop;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Rook;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Queen;You got it right.{W:ygir};4}]

9.
[{B:64}{F:B}{B:6r1/6pk/7p/4b3/1R6/P4P2/K1p4P/1N6 BLACK}
{Q:4. Black to move.{W:btm} To what piece should Black promote?{W:PRQ_05};
Knight;Correct.{W:cor};
Bishop;That is not the best piece to which Black can promote.{W:PRQ_09};
Rook;That is not the best piece to which Black can promote.{W:PRQ_09};
Queen;That is not the best piece to which Black can promote.{W:PRQ_09};1}]

10.
[{B:64}{F:W}{B:1n5k/2P5/4p3/p4p2/b6P/6PK/3N1P2/8}
{Q:5. White to move.{W:wtm} To what piece should White promote?{W:PRQ_04};
Knight;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Bishop;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Rook;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Queen;You got it right.{W:ygir};4}]

11.
[{B:8/1k1P1q2/8/2K5/16/7P/8}
{Q:6. White to move.{W:wtm} To what piece should White promote?{W:PRQ_04};
Knight;That's right.{W:tr};
Bishop;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Rook;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Queen;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};1}]

12.
[{B:64}{F:B}{B:2R5/1p2ppk1/16/4b1P1/7P/5p1K/6N1 BLACK}
{Q:7. Black to move.{W:btm} To what piece should Black promote?{W:PRQ_05};
Knight;Correct.{W:cor};
Bishop;That is not the best piece to which Black can promote.{W:PRQ_09};
Rook;That is not the best piece to which Black can promote.{W:PRQ_09};
Queen;That is not the best piece to which Black can promote.{W:PRQ_09};1}]

13.
[{B:64}{F:W}{B:k7/1p1P2P1/4n3/5p2/8/6B1/3p4/7K}
{Q:8. White to move.{W:wtm} Which Pawn should promote first?{W:PRQ_01};
The d-Pawn;Sorry, that's not correct.{W:stnc};
The g-Pawn;Correct.{W:cor};2}]

14.
[{B:8/7k/8/3P4/24/7K}
{Q:9. White to move.{W:wtm} Can the Black King stop the White Pawn from queening?{W:PRQ_02}; 
Yes;Sorry, that's not the right answer.{W:snra};
No;That's right.{W:tr}{J};2}]

15.
[{B:8/7k/8/3P4/24/7K}
{D:4400}{H:d5}{D:2800}{A:Wa8d5}{A:Wg8d5}
{D:10300}{A:Bg5g8}{A:Bg8d8}{A:Bd8d5}{A:Bd5g5}
{D:7000}
{A:Bd5a5}{A:Ba5a8}{A:Ba8d8}{A:Bd8d5}{D:7600}{H:h7}
{D:6000}{C}{R}{D:750}{S:d5d6}{D:750}{S:h7g8}{D:750}{S:d6d7}
{D:750}{S:g8f8}{D:750}{S:d7d8}{X:d8}{P:WQd8}{A:Wd8f8}{H:f8}An easy way to tell - Look at the diagonal which runs from the square the pawn is on to the the 8th rank. Imagine this diagonal as connecting the opposite corners of a square. With the pawn on d5, there are 2 squares formed, with the corners of one square at d5, d8, g8, g5 and the other at d5, d8, a8, a5. If the black king is inside either of these boxes, with white to move, he can catch the pawn. This is easy to visualize and can save the player the mistake-prone tedium of calculating exact move sequences.{W:PRQ_03}]

16.
[{B:8/2P5/2K5/k7/p7/P7/16}
{Q:10. White to move.{W:wtm} To what piece should White promote?{W:PRQ_04};
Knight;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Bishop;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};
Rook;That's correct.{W:tc};
Queen;That is not the best piece to which White can promote.{W:PRQ_08};3}]