Queen
Wonder Woman, Batgirl, Supergirl... And, of course, the chess queen!
Here's what you need to know about the chess queen, the most powerful chess piece:
- What Is A Queen In Chess?
- How Does The Queen Move?
- Show Off Your Queen Moving Skills
- Wrapping Up
- The Queen Video
What Is A Queen In Chess?
The queen is that tall piece that starts the game sitting next to the king, on a square that matches its color. The white queen starts on a light-square while the black queen stands on a dark-square.
The queen is a major piece, and it's worth nine points, so you better not let it hang. Just so you have an idea, a single queen is worth the same as three bishops or knights!
How Does The Queen Move?
The queen moves like a rook and a bishop combined. Just like a bishop, it can move freely on diagonals.
Like rooks, the queen can also go up and down and left and right as far as it wants.
If you put a queen in the middle of the board, it can go to 27 squares!
A queen can't jump over other pieces. If it wants to capture another piece, it has to run into it and land on its square.
You have to pay attention, though. Just because the queen looks as powerful as comic book heroine, it doesn't mean that you can move it anywhere you want. In the position below, the queen needs at least two moves to get to the pawn since moving sideways or diagonally wouldn't help it get there at once.
Show Off Your Queen Moving Skills
Now that you're familiar with the queen, it's time for you to show off your skills and prove that you can use this powerful piece in your favor. Read the instructions to solve each puzzle below:
Puzzle 01: What is the fastest way to capture the black pawn on g7?
Puzzle 02: What is the fastest way for the queen to capture all the white pawns?
Wrapping Up
You now know what the queen is, how it moves, and why it's such a powerful piece. Head over to our Lessons page to learn about other pieces and essential chess concepts that will turn you into a champion!