Chess Patterns ❯ Control of Squares ❯ Control of Promotion Square

Control of Promotion Square

You Control a Promotion Square when your pieces control the square where an advancing pawn can promote. In the diagram above, Black would love to stop the promotion of the f-pawn, but White's Bishop controls the promotion square, which is enough to ensure a winning endgame.

Ideas for when you control a Promotion Square: (1) Use your pieces to protect the path of your advancing pawn, (2) Be prepared to sacrifice material if it ensures your pawn's promotion, (3) Create a second promotion threat to divide your opponent's attention. Ideas for when you play against the control of a Promotion Square: (1) Target the opponent's pieces that control the promotion square, (2) Attempt to blockade the advancing pawn.

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Take Control of Promotion Squares

When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on Promotion Squares and how to control them. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this important chess concept.

Controlling the promotion square
This nice, slow-paced YouTube short contains a very instructive example of how controlling the Promotion Squares might be crucial in Pawn Races. Have a look at it.

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Wrong Bishop Colour Rule Explained
Watch this engaging short by Remote Chess Academy and see how controlling Promotion Squares is of fundamental importance in many endgames, particularly the Bishop + Pawns one.

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Promotion Technique
In this YouTube short by the excellent Coach Daniel Greiner channel you’ll be treated to another great example in which the control of the Promotion Square dictates the winning plan. Enjoy it.

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How to Become a Candidate Master*
This book by Alex Dunne has a unique approach. It presents 50+ games putting you, the reader, in the seat of the Candidate Master who is playing the games. It's amazing how much you learn about chess patterns, techniques, and psychology using this approach.

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Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual*
This book by the legendary Mark Dvoretsky is *THE* definitive guide to endgames. You could spend years studying it. It’s an absolute must-have for your library!

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