Playboard
  • Lesson 4 of 32
  • The pieces
  • 2 min

How the Queen Moves in Chess

The queen is the most powerful piece on the board. Each side has one, and losing it early usually loses the game.

Step 1 of 3

  1. Any direction, any distance

    The queen combines the rook and the bishop: she moves along ranks, files and diagonals, as many squares as she likes. From d4 on an empty board she controls 27 squares, almost half the board.

  2. Collect the stars

    Mix straight lines and diagonals to reach every star.

    Your move

    Move the queen onto each of the three stars.

  3. Take the bigger prize

    The queen can capture two pieces here: a pawn on d5 and a rook on a4. A rook is worth about five pawns, so the choice is easy.

    Your move

    Capture the most valuable piece.

What you learned

  • The queen moves any distance along ranks, files and diagonals.
  • She is the strongest piece, worth about nine pawns.
  • When you can capture more than one piece, take the most valuable one.

In this course

Unit 1The pieces

  1. The Chessboard and How to Set Up the Pieces
  2. How the Rook Moves in Chess
  3. How the Bishop Moves in Chess
  4. How the Queen Moves in Chess
  5. How the King Moves in Chess
  6. How the Knight Moves in Chess
  7. How Pawns Move and Capture in Chess
  8. Chess Piece Values: What Each Piece Is Worth

Unit 2Special moves

  1. What Is Check in Chess, and How to Get Out of It
  2. How to Castle in Chess: Kingside and Queenside
  3. En Passant in Chess, Explained on the Board
  4. Pawn Promotion in Chess: Turning a Pawn Into a Queen

Unit 3Winning the game

  1. What Is Checkmate? Learn to Mate in One
  2. Stalemate in Chess: Why It's a Draw
  3. How to Checkmate With a King and Queen

Unit 4Your first tactics

  1. The Fork: Attack Two Pieces at Once
  2. The Pin in Chess: Freeze a Piece in Place
  3. The Skewer in Chess: Attack Through a Piece

Unit 5Checkmate patterns

  1. Back-Rank Mate in Chess: Spot It and Stop It
  2. Smothered Mate in Chess: The Knight's Checkmate
  3. The Ladder Mate: Checkmate With Two Rooks
  4. How to Checkmate With a King and Rook

Unit 6More tactics

  1. Discovered Attack in Chess: Unmask a Hidden Attacker
  2. Double Check in Chess: Two Checks at Once
  3. Removing the Defender in Chess: Take the Guard

Unit 7Opening principles

  1. Control the Centre: A Chess Opening Principle
  2. How to Develop Your Pieces in the Chess Opening
  3. Scholar's Mate: How It Works and How to Stop It
  4. Fool's Mate: The Fastest Checkmate in Chess

Unit 8Endgame basics

  1. The Rule of the Square in Chess Endgames
  2. The Opposition in Chess: King Endgame Basics
  3. King and Pawn vs King: How to Win the Ending

Lessons for every game

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