The Complete Chess Course From Beginning To Winning Chess! (2016)

Book Two

The Nine Bad Moves

Number Three

Making Too Many Queen Moves in the Opening

Repeated moves with the same piece in the opening are a form of neglected development. While the same piece is moving again and again, the other pieces remain undeveloped. Always a serious fault, it becomes even more serious when the queen is the piece which is being moved repeatedly. There are a number of reasons for this.

The queen is by far the strongest piece on the board. It is the heart and soul of a well-managed attack which is based on systematic, completed development. To move this powerful piece aimlessly and repeatedly dissipates the attacking power of your position. To move the queen very early while concentrating on a definite but minor goal is still bad policy; often much more important features are neglected during these short-sighted maneuvers.

Still another drawback to early queen moves is that they readily expose the queen to attack by enemy pieces. So we have here the painful paradox that while one player ignores his development with repeated queen moves, his opponent develops one piece after another with gain of time by simultaneously attacking the queen!

Your best course, then, is to follow the advice given in Number One: concentrate on playing out the minor pieces at the beginning of the game; make sure of castling into safety; and develop the queen only after the opening development has begun to take shape.

Four Consecutive Queen Moves - and “Resigns”

Caro-Kann Defense

White - Black

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Bf5

It is poor policy to expose his queen to immediate attack.

5.cxd5 Qxd5 6.Nc3 Qa5 7.Qb3 Qb6

Still another queen move 8.Nd5! (D)

If Black now tries to defend the b-pawn with 8…Qc6, then the pinning move 9.Bb5 wins the queen.

8…Qxb3 9.axb3 Black resigns!

Black cannot meet the double threat of 10.Nb6 or 10.Nc7+, winning the exchange. If he tries 9…Na6 then 10.Rxa6! bxa6 11.Nc7+ wins for White.

The excessive number of queen moves has resulted in an undeveloped position lacking adequate defensive resources.

Black Loses Precious Time

King’s Knight’s Opening

White - Black

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Qf6?

A thoughtless move. Why use the queen - the most powerful piece on the board - for such menial work as guarding a pawn? (2…Nc6 performs the same task much more economically).

3.Bc4 Qg6?

A second move with the unfortunate queen.

4.0-0! Qxe4??

And now a third move with the unfortunate queen. Far ahead in development, White is now ready to exploit the queen’s exposed position.

5.Bxf7+! Ke7

For if 5…Kxf7 6.Ng5+ forking king and queen. 5…Kd8 is slightly better, but the damage is done: Black’s king is stranded in the center and has lost the castling privilege.

6.Re1! Qf4 7.Rxe5+! (D)

With a mating attack in the offing, White does not mind sacrificing his bishop.

7…Kxf7 8.d4!

Gaining valuable time by again attacking the unfortunate queen.

8…Qf6 9.Ng5+ Kg6 10.Qd3+ Kh5 11.g4+! Kxg4 12.Qh3#

An extraordinary game: out of 11 moves, Black made five with his queen, five with his king. Small wonder that his king was battered into an early checkmate.

White’s Wandering Queen is Trapped

Budapest Defense

White - Black

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e5 3.dxe5 Ng4 4.Nf3 Bc5 5.e3 Nc6 6.Bd2 Ngxe5

Thus Black wins back the pawn offered on his second move.

7.Nxe5 Nxe5 8.Bc3 Qe7 9.Qd5?

A premature attack with the queen. This is bound to be a waste of time, for Black need only protect his knight and then drive the queen away.

9…d6 10.b4

Pointless. It would be better to develop with 10.Be2.

10…c6 11.Qe4

White is looking for trouble. His simplest course is 11.Qd2, taking the queen out of danger.

11…f5

Even at this point, after two time-wasting queen moves, White can still save himself with 12.Qc2. Instead, he imagines that he is keeping the queen “in active play” with:

12.Qf4??? (D)

But this is one “aggressive” queen move too many. The white queen is now lost by force!

12…g5!! 13.Qg3

The queen has no other move.

13…f4!! 14.exf4 gxf4 15.Qxf4

Still the only move. But now the e-file is open, and White is exposed to a ruinous double check.

15…Nd3++ White resigns.

White must move his king, losing the queen. An impressive example of how early queen moves expose that powerful piece to persecution by the enemy’s minor pieces.

Aimless Queen Moves Prove Disastrous

Falkbeer Counter Gambit

White - Black

1.e4 e5 2.f4 d5 3.exd5 e4 4.d3 Nf6 5.dxe4 Nxe4 6.g3?

White guards against the threat of 6…Qh4+ 7.g3 Nxg3 8.hxg3 Qxh1. But the developing move 6.Nf3 would be a much more effective way of preventing the queen check.

6…Bc5 7.Qe2?

Having the king and queen on the open king file may easily lead to trouble for White.

7…0-0!

Black is piling up a great lead in development. He does not fear 8.Qxe4, for then he wins the white queen with the pinning move 8…Re8.

8.Qc4???

Another queen move, and another serious loss of time in a position which cannot bear the strain.

8…Qe7

Putting the open file to good use. He threatens a nasty discovered check with 9…Nxg3+ or 9…Nf2+, winning White’s king rook in either event.

9.Qe2

Still another queen move; but he must try to keep the open file at least partly closed.

9…Bg4 (D)

At first sight incomprehensible, this powerful move forces White’s queen off the open e-file.

10.Qxg4 Bf2+!

If now 11.Kd1 Nc3+! 12.bxc3 Qe1#!. Or 12.Kd2 Qe3#!.

11.Ke2 Nf6+

This brutal discovered check wins White’s queen - a graphic proof of the dangers lurking on the open e-file for a king stranded in the center.

12.Kxf2 Nxg4+ White resigns.

Black exacted a harsh penalty for White’s repeated queen moves.

White’s Combination is Unsound

Queen’s Pawn Opening

White - Black

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d5 3.cxd5 Qxd5 4.Nc3 Qd8

Black has lost time with the queen moves.

5.e4 e5

A temporary pawn offer: if now 6.dxe5 Qxd1+ 7.Kxd1 Ng4 and Black regains the pawn favorably. White’s indicated reply is the developing move 6.Nf3. Instead, he plays a superfluous queen move that leads to trouble.

6.Qa4+?? Bd7

A typical example of the way in which early development of the queen exposes that piece to attack by hostile forces of lesser value.

7.Qb3 (D)

Here is White’s idea: if he retreats 7.Qd1, there follows 7…exd4 8.Qxd4 Nc6 and White must lose still more time with still another queen move. Naturally White does not relish this loss of time. Therefore, he intends to part with his d-pawn, winning Black’s b-pawn in return. Black will win White’s queen knight, but only by losing his own queen rook in return.

Thus White reasons, and it sounds very plausible. What he forgets is that he will be making three consecutive queen moves, ending up with his queen hopelessly out of play and his other pieces undeveloped.

7…exd4 8.Qxb7 dxc3

If 8…Bc6 White saves himself with the pinning 9.Bb5!.

9.Qxa8

Now White’s queen is far from the scene of action, and Black has a free hand in attacking the helpless white king in the center.

9…cxb2 10.Bxb2 Bb4+ 11.Ke2 Bg4+ 12.f3

White fares no better with 12.Ke3 for Black still has 12…Qd2# or 12…Bd2#.

12…Qd2#

A convincing sermon on the subject of making too many queen moves in the opening. If we compare the sequence of moves 6-9 with the sequence of moves 10-12, we see that a series of excessive queen moves may often lead to disaster. The queen is too powerful a piece to be wasted on trifling excursions.

White Wins Two Rooks - and Loses the Game

Philidor’s Defense

White - Black

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 Nf6 4.dxe5 Nxe4 5.Bc4 Be6 6.Bxe6 fxe6 7.Qe2

White develops the queen this early because he is carried away by the double threat of 8.Qxe4 and 8.Qb5+, which will win a pawn.

7…d5 8.Qb5+ Nc6

Now White can win a pawn, but the price is too steep: 9.Qxb7?? Nb4 10.Qb5+ c6 11.Qa4 Nc5!! and White’s queen is lost (12.Qa3 Nxc2+ or 12.Qxb4 Nd3+).

9.Nd4

Still threatening to win a pawn, but he is neglecting his development.

9…Qd7!

Defending with a developing move - and at the same time preparing an extraordinarily deep replay to White’s coming pawn grab.

10.Qxb7

Still another queen move - but it does not seem to lose any time because of the attack on Black’s queen rook.

10…Bb4+!! 11.c3 (D)

Now three black pieces are attacked. Are White’s repeated queen moves justified after all?

11…Nxd4!! 12.Qxa8+ Kf7 13.Qxh8

White’s queen moves have been very profitable, but…

13…Qb5!! White resigns.

There is no way for White to prevent …Qe2#. The position has a beautiful logic all its own: White’s queen is far, far away from the scene of action; all the other white pieces are on there original squares. Too many queen moves!