Queening

Queening occurs when a pawn reaches the row farthest from its starting point and the player chooses to turn it into a queen. The exchange is part of the same move, and the new queen acts immediately from that promotion square.

The original queen does not need to have been captured. A player may create a second queen, and theoretically more, because the choice is not limited to pieces previously removed from the board. The queen is usually selected because it has the greatest mobility, moving along ranks, files, and diagonals.

Choosing a queen is not compulsory. The pawn may instead become a rook, bishop, or knight. A different piece can sometimes avoid stalemate, a draw in which the opponent has no legal move but is not in check, or create a tactical idea that a queen cannot.

On a physical board, the choice becomes final when the new piece touches the promotion square. If the required piece is unavailable, the player may pause the clock and ask the arbiter for help. Pressing the clock while leaving the pawn unreplaced completes an illegal move under FIDE competition rules; the pawn is then replaced by a queen.