The queen in chess: why she's the most powerful piece

The queen is the most powerful piece. The queen is the strongest piece in chess with a value of 9 points. To learn the value of each chess piece: queen=9, rook=5, bishop=3, knight=3, pawn=1. Combining the moves of the rook and the bishop, she dominates the board with unrivalled mobility. But why did this piece become so powerful? History reveals a fascinating evolution, from the modest vizier to the all-powerful queen.

Table des matières

How the queen moves

The queen can move as many squares as she likes in any direction. The queen’s movement in chess combines that of the rook and the bishop: horizontally, vertically and diagonally. She thus combines the power of the rook (ranks and files) and the bishop (diagonals). From the centre of the board, the queen controls up to 27 squares, nearly half the board.

Piece	Squares controlled (centre)	Value
Queen	27 squares	9 points
Rook	14 squares	5 points
Bishop	13 squares	3 points
Knight	8 squares	3 points

From vizier to queen: a revolution in 1475

For centuries, the piece next to the king was the vizier (or “ferz” in Arabic), a male adviser who could only move one square diagonally. It was one of the weakest pieces in the game. The radical transformation took place around 1475 in Spain, where the vizier became the queen with her current powers.

This metamorphosis is linked to the influence of Queen Isabella of Castile, a powerful sovereign who reigned jointly with Ferdinand of Aragon. The new game was nicknamed “scacchi de la donna” (chess of the lady) or “ajedrez de la dama” in Spanish. This revolution completely transformed the dynamics of the game, making it far more tactical and fast-paced.

Placement rule: The queen is always placed on the square of her own colour at the start of the game. White queen on a white square, black queen on a black square. This is the “queen on her colour” rule.

Strategies for using the queen well

Despite her power, the queen must be used with caution. Bringing her out too early in the game exposes her to attacks from opposing minor pieces, wasting precious tempo.

Do

Develop your minor pieces before the queen
Use the queen for coordinated attacks
Place the queen on open files and diagonals
Create mating threats with queen + supporting piece

Avoid

Bringing the queen out before move 6
Exposing the queen to tempo-gaining attacks
Trading the queen without material compensation
Isolating the queen far from your other pieces

Master’s tip: The queen + knight combination is particularly formidable for creating mating threats. The knight covers squares the queen cannot reach, forming a complementary attacking duo.

Famous mates with the queen

The queen is the chief architect of most checkmates. The back-rank mate (queen + rook on the last rank), Damiano’s mate (a queen sacrifice followed by mate the next move) and the kiss of death (the queen delivers mate supported by another piece, placing herself right next to the enemy king) are classic patterns every player should know.

“The queen is the soul of the board. Without her, the game loses all its poetry.”
José Raúl Capablanca, World Champion 1921-1927

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