{"id":1698,"date":"2022-06-07T17:26:27","date_gmt":"2022-06-07T15:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chessily.com\/?p=1698"},"modified":"2022-06-11T21:03:47","modified_gmt":"2022-06-11T19:03:47","slug":"can-you-have-more-than-one-queen-in-chess","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chessily.com\/questions\/can-you-have-more-than-one-queen-in-chess\/","title":{"rendered":"Can You Have More Than One Queen In Chess?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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<\/span>Can You Have More Than One Queen In Chess?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Each player starts a game of chess with exactly one queen<\/a>. Meaning, at the beginning of the game there are two queens \u2013 one white, one black\u00a0 \u2013 on the chess board. So, this begs the question: Can you have more than one queen in chess? And if yes, how many queens can you have at a time? Let’s find out together.<\/p>\n

<\/span>Can You Have Two (Or More) Queens In Chess?<\/span><\/h1>\n

Before we get into the boring theory, let’s start with a bit of real-life chess history. Have a look at this game:<\/p>\n

\"can
Can You Have Two Queens in Chess? Yes!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a game played between Bobby Fischer and Tigran Petrosian in the 1959 Candidates Tournament. And as you can see, both players have more than one queen on the board \u2013 in fact, both have exactly two queens! There have been quite a few games where up to six queens were on the board at the same time. One example: The game between Emil\u00a0Szalanczy and Nguyen Thi Mai in 2009.<\/p>\n

So yes, it is possible and completely legal to have more than one queen<\/strong> in chess. That being said, you certainly don’t start the game of chess with more than a single queen. So, how exactly do we manage to increase the number of queens available to us?<\/p>\n

<\/span>How To Get More Than One Queen (Hint: Pawn Promotion)<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n

The pawn-promotion-procedure (how’s that for an alliteration?) is as follows:<\/p>\n

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  1. The pawn reaches the enemy’s back rank (as in the other side of the board)<\/li>\n
  2. The pawn is exchanged for either a\u00a0queen<\/a>,\u00a0rook<\/a>,\u00a0bishop<\/a>, or\u00a0knight<\/a>\u00a0of the same color immediately<\/li>\n
  3. The new piece is placed on the exact square the pawn left the board from<\/li>\n
  4. The player\u2019s turn ends<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Now obviously, in the context of having more than one queen, we want to exchange our promoting pawn for a queen. However, it is also possible to promote do different pieces.<\/p>\n

    <\/span>Multiple Other Pieces: Possible With Underpromotion<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Now, if you’ve read the rules above carefully, you might have noticed, that you don’t always have to promote your pawn for a new queen. Besides the queen, you can also choose a rook, bishop, or knight in exchange for your pawn. This is called underpromotion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    In this example you can see how an underpromotion to a knight (by capturing the knight on d8) leads to a fork, winning the enemy queen and subsequently the rook in the corner:<\/p>\n

    \"underpromotion\"
    Underpromotion to a Knight Wins The Game For White<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    With the concept of an underpromotion, it is also possible to have:<\/p>\n

The key to it all is a special move called pawn promotion<\/a>. Whenever a pawn reaches the other (read: enemy) side of the board, it is immediately exchanged for a queen, rook<\/a>, bishop<\/a>, or knight<\/a> of the same color. The exchange takes place immediately and is mandatory.<\/p>\n