Rank

A rank contains eight squares in a horizontal direction. Ranks are numbered 1 through 8 from White's side. The first rank is therefore nearest White and the eighth rank nearest Black. The numbers do not reverse when the viewing side changes.

At the start of a normal game, White's king, queen, rooks, bishops, and knights stand on rank 1, with the pawns on rank 2; Black's corresponding pieces stand on rank 8 and the pawns on rank 7. The number in a coordinate identifies the rank: in e4, 4 means the fourth rank and e means the file.

A rook and a queen can move along a rank when no piece blocks the path. White's pawns move toward higher-numbered ranks and Black's toward lower-numbered ranks. When a pawn reaches the rank farthest from where it began, it must become a queen, rook, bishop, or knight; this change is called promotion.

Game explanations may refer to the seventh rank or the back rank. These are not special types of square, but horizontal lines whose importance depends on the pieces and on which side is using them.