Queen - Chess Terms

The queen is the most powerful of all of the chess pieces and is often used in early and brutal attacks. It is important to learn how to make your opponent fear your dangerous queen!

Here is what you need to know about the queen:

• The Queen
• How The Queen Moves
• Test
• Conclusion
• Video Lesson

The Queen

At the beginning of the game, the white queen is placed on the d1-square, and the black queen starts on the d8-square (directly next to the kings). It is worth noting that the white queen is placed on a light square, and the black queen is placed on a dark square.

The queen is more valuable than any other piece. The queen is worth nine points, a pawn is worth one point, a bishop and knight are worth three points, and a rook is worth five points.

How The Queen Moves

As mentioned, the queen is the most powerful piece. This is because the queen can attack (or defend) more squares than any other piece!

The queen moves similarly to multiple pieces. It can move in any direction like a king (but the queen is not limited to a single square). The queen can move the same way a rook can, moving freely up and down on any file and left and right on any rank.

The queen can also move freely on any diagonal like a bishop.

The queen can move as many squares as it likes as long as it is not blocked by another piece or occupied square. The queen can capture an enemy piece by moving to the occupied square.

One easy way to remember how the queen moves is that it moves like a rook and bishop combined.

Please note that the queen cannot jump over pieces like a knight—if it is blocked (like in the starting position), then it cannot move!

Test

Let's see if you can recognize where a queen can move. In the following diagram can the white queen capture the pawn on f7?

The answer is no because the bishop on c4 blocks the queen! However, the queen can capture the pawn on b7.

As mentioned, a queen can be used to conduct early and vicious attacks. In the position below, can the white queen capture the pawn on f7?

That's right! The white queen can capture the f7-pawn and in doing so delivers checkmate!

Conclusion

You now know where a queen is placed at the beginning of the game, how much a queen is valued, and how a queen moves. Enjoy your new knowledge, and strike fear in the hearts of your opponents with your queen!

Watch the Video Lesson

Reading an article is a great way to learn. For some people, watching a video lesson is even better! Watch this short video lesson below to see the queen in action!