queen up
Advanced (C1) informal
In chess, to turn your pawn into a queen. In everyday slang, to become powerful and bold, like a queen taking charge.
"He sacrificed his bishop just to give his pawn a clear path to queen up on the final rank."
Hear it in context
CCL Spring 2026 D1 Semifinals with @JoeBruin
Chesscom Community · 36:42
Queen up.
Chess.com King Of The Hill Championship 2026: Who'll Win The Most Popular Variant?
Chess.com · 165:28
Pawn takes and then queen up.
Chess.com King Of The Hill Championship 2026: Who'll Win The Most Popular Variant?
Chess.com · 211:16
So maybe you step the queen up one.
CCL Spring 2026 Playoffs Round 1 with @JoeBruin
Chesscom Community · 20:04
Nathaniel Mort decides to lift the queen up with an attack on F7.
CCL Spring 2026 SLU vs Mizzou with @JoeBruin
Chesscom Community · 109:52
So, queen queen up to b5 uh kind of an empty threat here.