Queen (chess)

“ The Queen, both in Chess and Cards, has a European if not an entirely French origin. She takes the place of the Eastern Vizir, or General; and it may be particularly remarked that in the game of Chess she is more of an Amazon or Joan of Arc than the consort of a reigning monarch. ”

“ All the Chess-pieces are equal in strength, one to the other. The Pawn can overthrow and capture any piece—the Queen can do no more.
That is to say, at its turn to move, any piece can capture any adverse piece; and this is all that any piece can do.
It is true that the Queen, on its turn to move, has a maximum option of twenty-seven squares, while the Pawn’s maximum never is more than three. ”

“ The opinions so commonly entertained and expressed, however, so far at least as they can be taken to apply to the period before Queen Elizabeth's reign, rest upon but slender data, and it is highly probable that even in that monarch's reign the practice of chess was confined to a very limited circle for we read of no fine player, great games, or matches, or public competitions of any kind, in our climes until Philidor's time ”

“ He swept all the black pieces off the board except the king and one pawn, and then left the white king and five white pawns, two of the latter so placed that but one move for each was necessary for them to become queens.
"Could you win that game if you were white?" he asked.
"It is but childish; of course these pawns become queens."
"Exactly. In chess any pawn that can get far enough can be a queen—but not in life, you know. Good-night, Christabel." ”

“ Thus, the sphere of influence of the two Kings overlaps at K6 and Q6 with the result that those two squares are neutral territory, forbidden to both by the fundamental laws of Chess, for the Kings must always have an interval of at least one square between them.
As the object of the game is to capture or checkmate the adversary's King, it is readily seen that he is of paramount importance, and that the moves of all the other Pieces and Pawns are made with reference to him.
The Queen's Move.
The Queen moves in any direction, like the King, but she is not restricted to
black. ”

“ But as the power of the Queen can be exerted only upon one point, obviously, her observation of the remaining twenty-six points is merely a manifestation of mobility, and her display of force is limited to a single square. ”

“ This example of an End Game illustrates the importance of the Queen as a mating force, and also illustrates, to the student, how important it is for him to protect her so that he can use her in just such methods of attack as were seen in the moves just notated. Black, having neither a Piece nor a Pawn on the board, could only hope to win by a drawn game if White had given a stalemate. ”

“ By comparing her strength with that of the other Pieces, the student will see that she is about double the value of a Rook, except in end-game positions when two Rooks co-operating could accomplish more than a Queen. An adverse Rook on the same rank or file as the Queen is very dangerous, no matter how many Pieces and Pawns may come between, and the player should guard against it by capturing the adverse Rook, if it can be done without sacrifice, or by moving the Queen into a safer position. ”

“ In games, in which both players have castled on the same side of the board, and which, as stated previously, constitute the vast majority of cases it is dangerous to make excursions with the Queen to distant regions away from the King, as her retreat might be cut off, making impossible an adequate defense against an attack which the opponent might be able to initiate on the King's side with the help of his own Queen. ”

“ In the Card Kingdom the Queen is a much more lifelike and womanly person, as in it she aids and abets her sovereign lord and master, and is generally meekly subordinate to him.
While drawing attention to the resemblances between the games of Chess and of Cards, we must not forget to notice a slight but perhaps important fact; and that is that all the ancient packs had checkered backs, as if the little army were loath to leave the old battle-field, but transferred it to their backs, and exposed that to the gaze of the opponent instead of standing in battle-array upon it. ”

“ Look at the map!
[Pg 10] [She takes a right angle course to the portieres and points to them with her sceptre.]
Alice
It’s marked out just like a big chessboard. I wouldn’t mind being a pawn, though of course I should like to be a Red Queen best.
Red Queen
That’s easily managed. When you get to the eighth square you’ll be a Queen. It’s a huge game of chess that’s being played—all over the world. Come on, we’ve got to run. Faster, don’t try to talk. ”

“ In fact the two rooks in chess are like the two hands in the human body, and the two knights are, as it were, the feet. Now that man has very little to boast of on the score of manhood and valour who tells you that he has given a sound thrashing to another man who had only one hand and one foot. It may be observed, however, that proportionately to the value of all the pieces in the old game, as compared with the present, the rook and knight would be equivalent to queen and rook with us. ”

“ It is not good to play the Queen out in the game at the beginning, because she can be attacked by inferior Pieces, and is compelled to retire with the loss of many moves.
Be careful, too, when about to capture a distant Pawn or Piece, that you do not remove your Queen too far from the immediate point of action. A skilful player will often permit you to win a Pawn with the Queen, that he may prevent her returning in time to rescue your King from his attack. The power of the Queen is wonderfully greater when she is aided and protected by other Pieces than when she goes forth unsupported ”

“ The break-up of the pawn position on the Q side can become awkward in the end-game and sometimes in the middle-game when the pawns can be attacked, and pieces brought to bear on the Queen’s side without leaving the King’s side denuded of forces. ”

“ To guard or support a Piece by the interposition of another force between the Piece attacked and the attacking Piece. A superior force is protected or covered from attack by an inferior one.
Queening a Pawn or Advancing a Pawn to Queen. When a player has advanced a Pawn to the eighth, or last, square of a file, it assumes the rank and power of a Queen or any other Piece, excepting a King, that the player chooses, in which case he is said to have Queened a Pawn. ”

“ Though the contests between the rival champions of Spain and Italy, were promoted as tests of skill, at the courts of Philip and Sebastian, and rewarded with a liberality unheard of, since the days of Chosroes and Al Mamun, and took place during the contemporary reign of Queen Elizabeth, when chess had become decidedly fashionable in England, we find no record of the games, or that any interest or enthusiasm appears to have been evoked by them in any country except those where they took place. ”

“ Example 4.—We now come to Queen and King against King. As the Queen combines the power of the Rook and the Bishop, it is the easiest mate of all and should always be accomplished in under ten moves. Take the following position:
A good way to begin is to make the first move with the Queen, trying to limit the Black King's mobility as much as possible. ”

“ The reason for the general rule that the Queen should not come out too soon is that she is liable to be attacked by the minor pieces of the opponent so that she has to move again and again and time is lost which could be used for the development of other pieces. Of course, if the opponent does not develop his pieces, the Queen may often come out without danger and she may do a lot of harm before she can be driven away. ”

“ The Queen has the power of both Rook and Bishop having the choice of moving to any square of the rank, file or diagonal on which she stands as long as her path is clear. In Diagram 2 the squares to which the Queen may move are, therefore, e3, b4, c5, e7, f8, f1, b5, C7, b8, d1, d2, d3, d4, ds, d7, d8, a6, b6, c6, e6, f6, g6 and h6. Like the Rook and Bishop she has the power of capturing a hostile man by occupying his square.
The Queen is by far the most powerful of the pieces. ”

“ Seymour.
“Ay; and I take a bishop in return,” said the major.
“Well,” observed the vicar, “if an Oriental nation really gave origin to the game, it could not, at all events, have been China; since the policy of that people is to exclude females from every kind and degree of influence and power, whereas the queen at chess is a powerful and important piece.” ”

“ QUEEN AGAINST ROOK
This is one of the most difficult endings without Pawns. The resources of the defence are many, and when used skilfully only a very good player will prevail within the limit of fifty moves allowed by the rules. (The rule is that at any moment you may demand that your opponent mate you within fifty moves. However, every time a piece is exchanged or a Pawn advanced the counting must begin afresh.)
Example 40.—This is one of the standard positions which Black can often bring about. ”

“ The English ladies led a quiet and secluded life, and were celebrated for their skill in needlework and embroidery. They used also to amuse themselves with playing at dice and chess, and with music. They were allowed, it is true, to appear as spectators at the tournaments; and at the time of the foundation of the Order of the Garter, the Queen and the wives of the knights-founders were received, as far as their sex allowed, as members of the Order. ”

“ It is White's move, but if he takes his Queen from in front of his King, he exposes it to check from the adversary's Rook. If he moves the King, then his Queen will be captured and the game will have to be drawn, and if he takes Black's Rook with the Queen, then the adverse King will be placed in a similar position, i. e., stalemate.
Support. A force is supported when it is within the range of another of the same color that would be in a position to capture it were it an enemy. An attacking force is supported by another Piece or Pawn which commands the square or position attacked. ”

“ The Queen is by much the most powerful of the forces. ”

“ Be cautious of playing your Queen in front of your King and in subjecting yourself to a discovered check. It is better when check is given to your King to interpose a man that attacks the checking Piece than with one that does not. ”

“ The art is French, but the ideas may have come from anywhere, like the game of chess which the pilgrims or crusaders brought home from Syria. In the Oriental game, the King was followed step by step by a Minister whose functions were personal. The crusaders freed the piece from control; gave it liberty to move up or down or diagonally, forwards and backwards; made it the most arbitrary and formidable champion on the board, while the King and the Knight were the most restricted in movement; and this piece they named Queen, and called the Virgin:— ”

“ Das Ziel ist, den König des Gegners matt zu setzen.
[Chess is an old board game, which originated in India, between two players, played on a chessboard with 16 white and 16 black pieces: each player has one king, one queen, two castles, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. The goal of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king.]
If the students have had some hand in selecting the topic, and possibly the text itself, then even a prosaic text that is totally unsuited for inclusion in a published language textbook may be exciting and effective. ”

“ The coming of young Jehanne de Laval to the tournament at Saumur provided the sensation of the day’s exploits. The highest honour, which the assembled knights before the encounters in the “Lists” began could confer, was hers by universal acclamation. She was to be the lady bearer of the champion’s crest, and, as “Queen of Queens,” to affix the coveted guerdon of victory upon the helm of the most successful knight. This election was preceded by a characteristic observance, true to the pure spirit of chivalry. ”

“ It will be found that of the twelve shown in the diagram only four are thus protected by being a knight's move from another knight.
THE GUARDED CHESSBOARD.
On an ordinary chessboard, 8 by 8, every square can be guarded—that is, either occupied or attacked—by 5 queens, the fewest possible. There are exactly 91 fundamentally different arrangements in which no queen attacks another queen. ”

“ Often when they had done, the women contended, sometimes with each other, and occasionally with men. Persons of the highest rank often engaged in this sport; and the sister of the queen has been seen wearing nearly the same clothing the wrestlers wore, covered all over with sand, and wrestling with a young chief in the midst of the ring, round which thousands of the queen’s subjects were assembled. ”

“ Send her word this night, and invite her to play cards with you; and when you win the first game tell her she must go to the Gruagach of the Apple and bring to you the sword of light that is with the King of Rye, and then she has not a single chance of returning. The queen will have no one to tell her anything without the hen-wife, and you yourself and the other queen will be quiet and untroubled together then. ”

“ Old Sabel was on the spot before the earliest church-bell had begun to toll. The rifle-king’s crown-treasury could afford to appoint her hereditary mistress of the kitchen, under Lenette, for a kreuzer or two and a plate or so of victuals; but the queen looked upon her as a superfluity and coadjutor, or auxiliary queen. A king on the chessboard gets two queens whenever a mere ordinary pawn gets moved on to the place of royalty, one of the royal squares (though he has not lost his first consort) ; and indeed it is just the same when it happens under the canopy of a throne. ”