How often do pawns get promoted, and to which piece? This analysis covers promotion frequency, piece choices, and the impact of promoting first.
Source Lichess·Games with Promotion 13%·Range 2023-12 to 2025-11·Updated January 2026
Promotion = pawn reaches the 8th rank and transforms into another piece. Queen is most common. Underpromotion (Knight/Rook/Bishop) is rare but tactically important.
13% of games feature a pawn promotion, with 98% being to Queen.
Rook is the most common underpromotion at 1.5%, followed by Knight (0.7%).
Queen promotion dominates due to its power, but Knight underpromotion is the most common alternative, typically to deliver check or avoid stalemate.
First to promote wins the majority of games. The 0.3% difference shows how decisive promotion tempo is in endgames.
| Time Control | Promo Rate | |
|---|---|---|
| UltraBullet | 11.7% | |
| Bullet | 11.8% | |
| Blitz | 13.1% | |
| Rapid | 13.4% | |
| Classical | 13.4% |
13% of Lichess games feature a pawn promotion, occurring on average around move 46. 98% of promotions are to Queen, with Knight being the most common underpromotion choice at 0.7%. When White promotes first, they win 76% of games.
13% of Lichess games feature at least one pawn promotion. Of these, 98% are to Queen, 0.7% to Knight, 1.5% to Rook, and 0.3% to Bishop. Underpromotion is rare at only 2.5% of promotions.
Rook is the most common underpromotion at 1.5% of promotions—typically to fork pieces or deliver checkmate. Bishop is rarest at 0.30%, used almost exclusively to avoid stalemate. Rook/Bishop promotions are tactical edge cases.
Yes. When White promotes first, they win 76% of those games. When Black promotes first, they win 75% (from Black's perspective). The 0 point difference shows promoting first provides a significant but not decisive edge.
Promotions occur on average around move 46 in Lichess games. This mid-game timing shows promotions often occur during the endgame transition.
Queens account for 98% of all promotions because they're the strongest piece. The remaining 2.5% underpromotions break down as: Knight 0.7%, Rook 1.5%, Bishop 0.3%. Queen is almost always correct—underpromoting requires specific tactical justification.
With 76% win rate for whoever promotes first (White's perspective), racing to promote matters. Although only 13% of games feature promotions, these games are often decided by who queens first. The 2.5% underpromotion rate shows even promotion choice requires attention.