9- Pawn promotion

 

In the early days of chess, a pawn that had pushed its way through the opponent’s lines and reached the opposite end of the board was automatically promoted to a “mantri” (the Sanskrit word for “counsellor”) a weak piece that moved a single square on the diagonal. In the European version of the game, the mantri would become the queen and see its movement greatly enhanced. And that is how a promotion to the weakest piece had become a promotion to the strongest one.

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Once again this is a rule that has varied greatly over the ages. Many players objected earlier on to the king having two queens – some still do – and for a while the pawn could only promote to a piece that had already been captured. At other times, a pawn could only promote to the piece of the file on which it promoted, or on which it started, with the exception of the king’s pawn which was permitted to promote to a queen since one could not (of course...) have two kings.

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Under the modern rules of chess, a pawn that reaches the last rank must be promoted as part of the play, and the promotion may be to any piece at the player’s discretion. Known as the “unrestricted promotion rule”, it became popular in the 19th century and was almost universally accepted by the end of it. And since the queen is by far the most powerful piece of the game, it naturally follows that the vast majority of promotions are to a queen, a process that is usually referred to as “queening”.

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A consequence of the new promotion rule was to make the material gain of a single pawn a much greater advantage than it initially was. Under the original rule, when a pawn could only promote to a mantri, a single pawn ending was always a draw since a mantri and a king could not force a mate. But with the introduction of the unrestricted promotion rule, a single pawn ending – if the said pawn could safely reach the last rank and promote – would usually translate into an easy win.

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The rules of pawn promotion under Chess 99 return to the original philosophy of the game and promotions are now limited to the two minor pieces, bishops and knights, and nothing else. And there is one other significant difference: A pawn reaching the last rank does not promote as part of the same play. (This will preclude any argument over the capture “en passant” of a pawn reaching the last rank on a two-square move.) Furthermore, a pawn standing in the last rank does not attack any square at this time. (Whenever it is promoted, it is not permitted to capture an opponent’s piece as part of the same play.)

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The rules of pawn promotion in Chess 99:

• A pawn reaching the opposite end of the board is not permitted to promote as part of the same play.

• A pawn standing in the last rank may be promoted whenever the player has the move.

• Promotion may only be to a knight or a bishop.

• The choice of piece is not limited to knights and bishops that have been previously captured.

• The promoted piece may make a move as part of the play but it is not actually required to do so. (“On-the-spot” promotions are permitted.)

• If the promoted piece does not make a move, no other piece may be moved in its place.

• If the promoted piece does make a move, it is never permitted to capture an opponent’s piece as part of the same play.

• The promoted piece will gain all of its attributes on the subsequent play.

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Do note the following:

1. A pawn reaching the last rank on a two-square move may be captured “en passant” like any other.

2. You may never have both a promotion and a capture on the same play.

3. A player will never have two queens, two paladins, or three rooks.

4. A player may have three (or more) knights and bishops.

5. Since a king and a single knight or bishop cannot force a mate, a single pawn ending should be a draw.

6. Since a pawn that is being promoted may remain on its original square, this makes it the only play where no piece is actually moved.