62
votes
Accepted
When (if ever) was it a rule that pawn promotion was optional?
Dummy Pawns
Today, it is little known that for forty years at the height of the British Empire, dummy pawns were the scourge of tournament play, and even grandmasters ran scared. (Possible ...
- 9,458
46
votes
Why underpromote in this KNNP-KR endgame?
If you promote to a queen with 1. b8Q, black has:
1...Re2+ 2. Kd1 Rb2
attacking the queen and hinting at mate with Rb1++. If white takes the rook 3. Qxb2 it is stalemate.
Because of the mate ...
- 20.4k
37
votes
When (if ever) was it a rule that pawn promotion was optional?
Edward Winter cites Owen J. Clarkin (Ottawa, Canada) who quotes from The Modern Chess Instructor by W. Steinitz (New York, 1889) which in turn cites this example from Lowenthal's Book of the London ...
- 5,600
29
votes
Accepted
Is there a "touch-promote" rule?
So I grab a rook instead. Did I break a rule?
No, the FIDE Laws of Chess are very clear. The choice of piece is not decided until it touches the promotion square.
In so far as touch move applies to ...
- 77.8k
28
votes
Is there any position where not promoting(illegally) would be the best move?
Here is an example:
[fen "8/4P3/8/4p1p1/2p3Pp/p4p1K/k1p2P1P/8 w - - 0 1"]
1. e8 leads to stalemate next move, while all legal promotions lose to 1... c1=Q followed by 2... Qf1#.
- 8,880
27
votes
Why doesn't Promotion restrict choices to Queen and Knight only?
Sometimes, choosing a bishop or a rook is the best move, because of stalemate possibilities. This happens most often with rooks, and very rarely with bishops.
For instance, in this famous position ...
- 26.3k
26
votes
Accepted
How does one promote a third queen in an over-the-board game?
Under USCF rule 8F7:, it is acceptable to place a rook upside-down if a spare queen is not available.
If the desired piece is not available to replace a promoted pawn, the player may stop both clocks ...
- 15.6k
23
votes
Accepted
Why does Fritz prefer underpromotion in this position?
It's because 1. exf8=Q+ Kxh7 2. Rxd7?? would be stalemate. I think it is a even a theoretical draw after 1. exf8=Q+ Kxh7 2. Qg7+. Therefore 1. exf8=B+! (with check!) is better, since white then can ...
- 8,880
23
votes
Pawn Promotion Endgame Problem-White to move and mate in 1
It's probably a trick problem with a promotion to a black knight.
Such promotions to the wrong colour are not allowed, and never were. In the official rules it is now specifically pointed out that ...
- 8,880
23
votes
Can a pawn that performed an en passant capture promote at all?
From FIDE rules (3.7 e):
When a pawn reaches the rank furthest from its starting position it must be exchanged as part of the same move on the same square for a new queen, rook, bishop or knight ...
- 518
22
votes
Accepted
Is there any position where not promoting(illegally) would be the best move?
The Matt Bengtson problem Prof. Elkies mentions is:
[Title "Matt Bengtson, Chess Braintwisters (Burt Hochberg), no. 103. White to move & draw."]
[FEN "4kn2/3p1pPp/4pPpK/6P1/8/2p5/1b6/8 w - - 0 1"]...
- 5,600
21
votes
How does one promote a third queen in an over-the-board game?
You pause the clock, call an arbiter and an additional queen will be provided.
- 3,450
20
votes
Accepted
Is it unsportsmanlike to underpromote to improve my chances?
If, as you say, you are "improving your chances", then it's not unsportsmanlike. Even if your opponent misunderstands, he doesn't really have much to complain about - if he doesn't want to play on he ...
- 15.6k
20
votes
Accepted
Does a loophole still exist in the defintion of castling?
I suppose what is comes down to is that the way 3.8.2 is written can be argued to have a syntactic ambiguity. 3.8.2 can mean either "This is a move of the king, and either rook of the same colour,...
- 500
18
votes
Accepted
Touching a captured queen -- must I promote to it?
Yes, you should promote to a Queen forcibly. FIDE rules say that (emphasis mine):
4.4 If a player having the move:
[...]
4.4.4 promotes a pawn, the choice of the piece is finalised, when the piece ...
- 3,511
17
votes
Do you get an extra turn when you promote your pawn?
Once you have promoted your pawn do you get a second move to move it out
of danger?
No.
Or do you still only get the promotion as your move and it becomes
the opponents move?
Yes.
From the ...
- 14.5k
16
votes
Does a loophole still exist in the defintion of castling?
Is there any glaring flaw in this rules lawyer case, or is it solid
until FIDE fixes it?
Yes, there is a glaring flaw in your case. The rook and king have to be on the same rank. This is clear from ...
- 77.8k
15
votes
Why underpromote in this KNNP-KR endgame?
The Lomonosov 7-man Endgame Tablebase show that after promotion to a queen, Black can play 1. ... Re2+ 2. Kd1 Rb2! (sacrificing the rook) Qxb2, the Black king is stalemated. If White doesn’t take the ...
- 679
14
votes
Accepted
Did Bobby Fischer castle with a pawn promoted to a rook?
There was a time when the FIDE rules didn't specify that a king and rook
need to be on the same rank in order to castle. This meant that, assuming
the other requirements for castling were met, it was ...
- 1,243
13
votes
Did Bobby Fischer castle with a pawn promoted to a rook?
Not Fischer. But there is the infamous Tim Krabbe vertical castling problem:
http://www.futilitycloset.com/2009/12/11/outside-the-box/
Although it appears this was already illegal as of the problem'...
- 459
13
votes
What is the most queens that have been on the board in a grandmaster game?
This sounds like a job for Tim Krabbé, who presents two games with six queens: Szalanczy - Nguyen, Budapest 2009 and Anton - Franco, XXI Elgoibar Magistral 2011. I don't know how many of the ...
- 14.5k
13
votes
Can there be two bishops on white tiles? If not, can my queen be capture and then promoted so I can win the game?
Your only problem here is logistical. You can promote your pawn to any piece except the King, even if that means you have two bishops on the same colour squares, or two (or more) queens on the board; ...
- 439
13
votes
Accepted
Is castling possible with a pawn promoted to a rook?
No, according to FIDE's Laws of Chess, castling has to be done along the first rank.
§3.8.2:
3.8.2 by ‘castling’. This is a move of the king and either rook of the same
colour along the player’s ...
- 8,880
13
votes
Is castling possible with a pawn promoted to a rook?
This question really needs a diagram with this position:
[FEN "8/8/4P3/3p4/2p3p1/1pP1kPPp/1P5P/R3K2R w KQkq - 0 1"]
White to mate in 3.
Tim Krabbé and Max Pam found the loophole in the rules that ...
- 26.3k
13
votes
Accepted
FIDE rules when opponent accidentally promotes to your Queen
So if your opponent promotes a pawn to a Queen and accidentally places
your Queen on the board instead of his own, can you claim a win
because of an illegal move?
No, you can't. There is no ...
- 77.8k
13
votes
Understanding Carlsen's resignation in the rook and pawn endgame vs MVL
Intuitive plan
Notice that black's last check is pushing the white king one row away from their passed e-pawn. Once black promotes the b-pawn, white will have to give up the rook for it. After which ...
- 11.8k
12
votes
Underpromoting a pawn
No, it is not.
FIDE Laws of chess, clause 3.7e:
When a pawn reaches the rank furthest from its starting position it
must be exchanged as part of the same move on the same square for a
new ...
- 14.5k
11
votes
Accepted
Promotion race between three non-confronting pawns
The two previous answers both suggested that this position is a draw, but I believe it's a win for White.
Stockfish 5 evaluates the position at more than +10 if left to run for long enough (e.g., to ...
- 1,243
11
votes
Why would one promote a pawn to a knight?
There are even positions where one promotes R or B to save a draw by getting stalemated (rather than win by avoiding stalemate). One example is the Traxler-Dedrle setup:
[FEN "4rN1K/5qP1/8/8/8/8/k7/...
- 5,559
11
votes
If a pawn is promoted to queen beside the king is the king instantly in check?
Per FIDE Chess Laws, rule 3.1, a piece is said to attack an opponent’s piece if the player’s piece can make a capture on that square (and in one more special case not relevant here). In full:
It is ...
- 415
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