Skip to Content

Can you get pieces back in chess?

Sharing is caring!

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure to learn more.

Losing a piece in a chess game is an inevitable action of the game. Even if a player doesn’t make any mistakes, the opponent often captures the player’s piece in one way or another because it is common to sacrifice some pieces as part of the bigger game plan to win the game.

So, can a player get pieces back in chess? Yes, a player can recover a piece captured by the opponent. A player can only recover a piece in chess by promoting a pawn after crossing to the other side of the board. 

Once the pawn has been promoted, the player get to select the piece of their choice, and then the promoted pawn gets converted to any piece in a chess game, apart from the King. Therefore, a player can get all pieces back in chess, except the King. 

It is quite challenging for a pawn to race towards the opposite side of the board without being captured. Upon reaching the 8th rank, the pawn is promoted, and the player gets to pick whichever piece they want to convert to. 

In general, most of the time, players opt to convert promoted pawns to a Queen.

A player can only recover a piece in chess by promoting the pawns when they reach the 8th rank on the other side of the board. Once the pawn has been promoted, the new piece must be placed on the same square as the pawn previously stood.

This article is about getting pieces back in chess. Answered below are frequently asked questions about promoting pawns to get pieces back while playing chess.

Can you recover pieces in chess?

Yes, a player can recover a lost piece from the opponent player. Again, a player is allowed to recover all the pieces except for a king. Once a king has been lost, the game is over and the player loses the match.

A player can bring any captured piece in chess back to the game by promoting the pawn. When a pawn reaches the other side of the chessboard , the pawn is promoted to any chess game piece the player selects. 

A player gets the opportunity to choose any piece to replace the promoted pawn, except the King. Oftentimes, players decide to replace the promoted pawn with a Queen.

The player can promote as many pawns as possible, provided that they stay alive and reach the 8th rank. The new piece should replace the promoted pawn of the same square the pawn moved.

Note, a player can promote pawns to any piece, even when the opponent has not captured the pieces during the game.

What pieces can you get back?

A player can get back all pieces in chess, except for the King. That implies Bishops, Rooks, Knights, and Queen can be recovered once the opponent pieces have captured them. 

The recovery of these pieces is not direct, and it’s only done by promoting a pawn whenever it reaches the final rank on the opposite side. 

Once the pawn has been promoted, a player can convert it to other pieces, depending on which piece benefits their playing stye to most. 

Remember, there are eight pawns in a chess game, and a player has the opportunity to promote all of them after reaching the 8th rank.

When you get a piece back in chess, where does it go?

When the pawn reaches the final rank on the opposite side of the board, it’s promoted and can be converted to any piece of a chess game. The new piece replaces the promoted pawn on the start square and the pawn is moved off the board. 

The pawn is promoted to the new piece, the pieces are swapped out for each other, then the turn ends. If the new piece places the opponent in Check, then the opponent is obligated to defend the attack during their next turn.

Can you get a second queen in chess?

Yes, chess rules allow a player to have two Queens in the game. A player can convert any promoted pawn to be a Queen any time it reaches the final rank on the opponent’s side of the board. 

Pawns races towards the opponent player’s side to get promoted. Once the pawn is promoted, a player can decide to replace it with a Queen or any other piece. 

In fact, a player can promote as many pawns as possible to become a Queen, as long as the piece moves to reach the furthest rank. 

Theoretically, during the game, any of the two players can have as many as nine Queens on the board since there is no rule in a chess game that limits the player to a certain number of Queens. However, it is practically impossible to find a player with nine Queens during the game. 

At most, a player may have two or three Queens provided the original Queen is still in the game.

Queens are very powerful pieces in a chess game, and therefore, the more Queens a player has, the higher chances of causing a checkmate scenario against the opponent player.

Can you get pieces back in chess

Getting Pieces Back in Chess: Conclusion 

A player can return a captured piece back to the chessboard once a pawn has been promoted. Pawns are often referred to as the weakest piece, but they boast the opportunity to promote into other pieces from the game.

A pawn is promoted once it reaches the final rank on the opposite side of the board. Once it reaches the final row, it is promoted, and the piece can be converted to any game piece except for the King. 

The promotion rule for pawns is not only limited to recovering captured pieces. A player can also promote other pieces that haven’t been captured yet, like getting a second Queen.

Two Queens or more in chess, provide a significant advantage. No rule limits the player to a certain number of Queens during the game. 

Theoretically, a player can have up to nine Queens, though it is practically impossible to have more than three at a time.

Moreover, the new piece converted from the promoted pawn has to replace the pawn on the same square the pawn was previously, and then the turn is complete.

Queen, Bishops, Knights, and Rooks are the pieces that can be taken back in a chess game by promoting pawns. Therefore, once the enemy player captures the King, it cannot be recovered and the game is over. 

Sharing is caring!