Questions tagged [queens]
Questions relating to the Queen
79
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32
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King or Queen-Which piece is which?
I recently bought a set of wooden chess pieces, which I liked for its simplicity.
I'm not sure, however, which one is supposed to be the king and which one is supposed to be the queen.
I would say ...
- 467
26
votes
9
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Must one say "queen check" before capturing a queen?
I was playing a friend and I took her queen. She said that I didn't say "queen check" beforehand. I have never heard of this. Is it a rule?
- 269
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9
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Why is the king powerless and the queen powerful?
Historically, real kings were powerful (Alexander the Great, Napoleon Bonaparte etc.) and women were powerless. The game of chess began in Asia, some say, and the women were definitely powerless there....
- 5,754
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1
answer
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Maximum number of queens possible
I was thinking about what the maximum number of queens can be on the board after only legal moves. The theoretical upper bound would be 18, the original 2 queens plus 16 promoted pawns.
However, to ...
- 303
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1
answer
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Trading queens in the opening
Which standard openings in chess usually pave the way for an early queen trade in the game? In other words, which opening has a high probability of exchanging the queens in the opening itself? Does ...
- 621
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6
answers
11k
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How to deal with your opponent's queen if your opponent rejects any trades?
If my opponent brings out his/her queen early in the game, I usually attack it with my own queen. The opponent can either accept the trade or reject it. If he/she accepts, I have no questions at all. ...
- 771
19
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12
answers
8k
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Why does a knight combine better with the queen than a bishop does?
From this question, the couple queen + knight is strong in attacking the opponent's king.
I searched why the knight combines better than the bishop with a queen, and all I could find, from this ...
user18196
19
votes
6
answers
28k
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When is a queen stronger than two rooks?
Two rooks are stronger than one queen. Let's assume that the material is equal, except that one player has a pair of rooks while the other player has a queen. In what situations is the queen stronger ...
user2001
18
votes
4
answers
6k
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Has there ever been a grandmaster-level win where a queen did not move nor get taken throughout the game?
Has there ever been a grandmaster-level win where the queen of the side that won did not move nor get taken throughout the game?
I feel like this is possible even at such a level as the side whose ...
- 1,284
18
votes
6
answers
4k
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How do I stop blundering my queen?
I have a particular bad habit when I play chess. I play reasonably well (at least by the standards of people I play with), and am quite careful with my pieces. But in about 80% of games I play, once I ...
- 291
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3
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Does GM Larry Kaufman's "principle of the redundancy of major pieces" truly exists? Or could this effect be caused by the number of Pawns instead?
The following is an extract from The Evaluation of Material Imbalances by GM Larry Kaufman. I put in bold characters everything that was important for this question.
https://www.chess.com/article/view/...
- 4,726
14
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4
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What is the shortest possible game with 18 queens?
This question demonstrates a game in which all 16 pawns promote for a total of 18 queens on the board. It takes 80 moves...
What is the shortest sequence of moves that achieves this goal?
- 2,044
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3
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What is the earliest queen move in any strong, modern opening?
I have noticed a tendency of weaker players to move their queen out very early (e.g. move 2-5), and conversely, a tendency for strong players to move their queen much later (usually later than move 5, ...
- 2,087
13
votes
7
answers
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Countering The Wayward Queen Attack
I'm a new player =I just started playing again after an over 10 year hiatus. I'm (sadly) in the 600s.
I've been studying openings and I seem to do better in games where I can use the Italian game or ...
user14142
13
votes
4
answers
2k
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What sense does promotion to queen make? [closed]
When a pawn finally reaches the eighth rank, then it can be promoted to rook, knight, bishop or queen. It is not hard to imagine that a soldier who has achieved a lot could be promoted to an officer. ...
- 265
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When is a queen better than 3 minor pieces (or vice versa)?
Obviously a lot is going to depend on the exact position, but I'm asking if there are any general signposts - e.g. bishops usually get better than knights if the position is open, or in an endgame, ...
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13
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3
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In the immortal draw, why is the Queen sac 9...Qxa4+ considered the best move?
After White's first nine moves in the Immortal Draw:
[FEN ""]
[title "Hamppe-Meitner, Vienna"]
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Bc5 3.Na4 Bxf2+ 4.Kxf2 Qh4+ 5.Ke3 Qf4+ 6.Kd3 d5 7.Kc3 Qxe4 8.Kb3 Na6 9....
- 6,162
12
votes
11
answers
12k
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Moving the queen early in the game - beginner
Ok, I know this will be a vague question... I recently played against a friend three games, and lost all of them, and the problem was that he played his queen very early in the game (second move). I ...
- 319
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votes
1
answer
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Is always possible to win King + Queen vs. King + Rook?
Does every situation (except where the Queen team gets mated or the Queen is captured immediately) result in a win for the Queen team? Or can the Rook team, by perfect play, force a stalemate?
- 1,963
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Two Rooks vs Queen endgame
Is an endgame with Queen and King vs. two Rooks and King a win for the Queen, a win for the two Rooks, or a draw?
- 535
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3
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What is the most queens that have been on the board in a grandmaster game?
There are quite a few grandmaster games with 3 queens or 4 queens, but what is the highest number of queens on the board in a game between two GMs?
I'd be interested in both the most on the board ...
- 444
11
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3
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Is the Queen plus pawn versus Queen endgame always a draw?
In a Queen + King versus Queen + King endgame (including zero or more pawns) these is a strong draw tendency due to the fact that a Queen can deliver multiple checks in a row to the opponents open ...
user2001
10
votes
2
answers
3k
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Does a KQQ vs KQ endgame position with perpetual check exist?
In such an endgame situation (no specific position), where White isn't pinning the Black queen on the first move, is it possible for Black to get a perpetual check if they move first?
user24344
10
votes
3
answers
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How do I trap the queen once it pins my rook?
I am playing as Black in this game, and after 10. Qg4, I realize that White wanted my rook. I knew I could trap the queen once it went for the rook (11. Qxg7), but I forgot how. I went on to win the ...
- 609
10
votes
1
answer
740
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How many queens can be on the board without neither forced mate nor forced stalemate (53?)?
I was wondering how many queens can be put on boards without the position being a forced checkmate or a forced stalemate. The best I came up with is 53 this position.
[FEN "QQQQQRK1/QQQQQPr1/...
- 103
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votes
9
answers
1k
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What is the best way to free your queen as soon as possible?
We can open games in many ways (any of the pawns or knights) and then go ahead with different strategies. The queen being the most important piece, I would like to get it out in the field without ...
- 805
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4
answers
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Losing the queen and then winning the game
Many years ago, I was on a mountain with some people. I was very young then, between 15 and 17 years old, I think. Some older people came and one of them started to play chess with me.
I cannot ...
- 315
9
votes
3
answers
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Sicilian defense : what's the best answer to 2.Qh5?
I've seen one video on YouTube about the Sicilian defense and wanted to try it on a game. In this game, my opponent played 2. Qh5, trying to capture c5,and if b6 then Qd5 and rook is taken whatever I ...
- 193
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5
answers
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Does 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 f6 have to be a bad opening?
There seems to be a pretty nifty attack for White after 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6:
[FEN ""]
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 f6 3.Nxe5 fxe5 4.Qh5+ g6 5.Qxe5+ Qe7 6.Qxh8
I've played as White with this opening several times, ...
- 6,162
8
votes
6
answers
2k
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Scandinavian Defence queen e5
I'm new to chess (around 1000), and I like to practice the Scandinavian defence. I started to check the theory related to it, and I've never seen a single source talking about this queen move after ...
- 183
8
votes
4
answers
758
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Beginner Chess Question: Bringing out my queen early?
Sometimes I bring my queen out early, however GMs say "Queen is vulnerable to attack and hinders development" I agree with that but most of the time I only bring it to f3 or around the 3rd-rank ex. b3/...
- 379
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votes
1
answer
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Trading off two rooks for queen and pawn
I have hardly if ever seen 2 rooks being traded off for queen and pawn (or for just queen) in common games.
Under what conditions is this trade-off advisable?
Why is it fairly uncommon?
- 369
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How do you checkmate with a queen?
How do you checkmate with a King and Queen versus King?
Is there a method that is faster than other methods in terms of moves?
Is there a foolproof method if you are in time trouble?
user2001
8
votes
1
answer
614
views
Historical origin of the queen as a chess piece
As far as I know, chess was introduced at Europe from Arabia by a Spanish king: Alfonso X.
I recently read an article in Spanish press saying the queen was also introduced as a piece in Spain.
The ...
user18196
7
votes
5
answers
1k
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As Black, how should one respond to 4. Qe2 by White in the Russian Game, Damiano Variation?
I recently played a game as Black. My opponent and I transposed into, according to Lichess, the Russian Game, Damiano Variation, when White played 4. Qe2. I wasn’t sure how to reply, and I ended up ...
- 17.1k
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3
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Can a King and Queen mate a King and Knight or is this a drawn game?
White has a King and a Queen.
Black has a King and a Knight.
It is White's move. Can White win or is this ending a draw?
- 79
7
votes
1
answer
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Chesscademy Tactic: Is my alternative as good as the right answer?
I've been playing with the Chesscademy app for a while, solving some tactics (which I'm not sure is improving my chess, but it's a good puzzle to kill some time). Today I ran into one tactic that I ...
- 185
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votes
10
answers
3k
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Shocking queen sacrifices?
I am a chess beginner and I find queen sacrifices are the most shocking moves I have ever seen.
Please, can you provide me with some shocking examples of queen sacrifices. It need not be a big list, ...
- 972
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votes
1
answer
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Forced mate: 2 queens vs king
On the board, there are 2 queens (of the same color) placed on random squares. The opposing side has only a king, placed on a random square (and not in check). There obviously exists a mating sequence....
- 411
5
votes
2
answers
289
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What did Benjamin Franklin mean in this quote?
I was reading thenarticle at http://www.chess.com/forum/view/general/benjamin-franklin-on-the-morals-of-chess, and in the last paragraph, Ben Franklin says "Snatch not eagerly at every advantage ...
- 153
5
votes
2
answers
310
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Q+N in attacking K
I've always been told that Q and N are very strong in attacking K. Could someone show me some real GM games where Q+N attack decides the game? (where at the end of the aggression, the attacking side ...
- 2,428
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3
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Has there been a game which was drawn with three queens?
One of my friends who follows chess told me that there was a player in the past whose defensive game was so good that he drew a game in which the opponent had three queens. I couldn't find a game like ...
- 621
4
votes
1
answer
295
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Franci de Castellvi - Narcis Vinyoles 18. ... Qg6??, a blunder by black?
[Site "Valencia"]
[Date "1475"]
[White "Franci de Castellvi"]
[Black "Narcis Vinyoles"]
[Result "1-0"]
[startply "36"]
[FEN ""]
1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Qxd5 3. Nc3 Qd8 4. Bc4 Nf6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. h3 ...
4
votes
1
answer
436
views
History of convention for king & queen placement
As stated in this question, the convention that the player with the lighter-coloured pieces makes the first move was not established until fairly late in the 19th century.
Before then, what convention ...
- 6,265
4
votes
2
answers
251
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A question about the time to evacuate a queen in a master game
I am studying a book about chess strategy, and in the chapter concerning the d4,e4 center I have this game:
(PACHMAN, VESELY, Pragues, 1953)
r1b2rk1/pp1nqppp/2pb1n2/4p3/2PP4/2N1PN2/P1Q1BPPP/R1B1R1K1 b ...
- 459
3
votes
3
answers
349
views
Why is there association between a queenless position and the endgame?
Why does there seem to be some idea that trading queens is the start of the endgame? What does trading queens have to do with the endgame? Why are queenless positions often considered to be endgame ...
- 878
3
votes
4
answers
968
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Is a queen for two rooks reasonable in this position? What are the disadvantages?
Is Qxe8 reasonable?
I always wanted to trade off a queen against two rooks and the engine likes this idea, but am I leaving my pawns unprotected in this situation?
It would be hard to protect those ...
- 1,963
3
votes
1
answer
513
views
Quickly losing a queen in style
I accidentally ran into this game again.
[FEN ""]
[startply "7"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 Qf6 3. e5 Qf5 4. Bd3
What would be the fastest way to lose a queen by a direct attack on ...
- 15.5k
3
votes
1
answer
203
views
How to effectively use the queen in chess opening strategy?
The queen is the most powerful piece in chess, with the ability to move in any direction and threaten a wide range of squares. However, it can be challenging to effectively use the queen in the ...
- 1,963
3
votes
2
answers
426
views
Which is better, going for checkmate, or forcing immediate resignation?
Let's say you have a position where you can win the opponent's queen in one move and you know he will resign; or you play a combination that is technically stronger since it forces mate, but it takes ...
- 32.4k