The Queen In Chess
The queen is known as the most powerful piece on the chess board. The queen is given this designation because it allows her to move about freely. Except for the knight, it can move as any other piece can. It has no restrictions on how many squares it can move or in which direction it can go. Except for the king, the queen is the highest-ranked piece.
The queen, as you can see, can move in any direction. This is why it is regarded as the board’s most powerful piece. The queen is unable to jump over any pieces and may be obstructed by other pieces. It is frequently utilized in the middle of a game, but it becomes immensely strong in the endgame.
The King In Chess
The most valuable piece on the board is the king. As a result, it is the highest ranked piece on the board. It’s worth noting that the game is over once the king is captured, even if all other pieces are still on the board. The king’s movements are as follows:
The figure above depicts the king’s ability to move in any direction. It is, however, confined to only one square at a time. This makes it difficult for it to avoid being apprehended. As a result, players must ensure that their king is not directly attacked by various pieces. The term “check” is used when the king is directly attacked. The word “checkmate” is used when the king is directly attacked and has no way out. The match has come to an end.
The queen and king checkmate happens frequently in Chess games. Many games conclude in King + Queen vs. King, with the player in possession of the queen having to follow the Queen and King checkmate pattern to win.
Using the queen and her king, this pattern works by carefully limiting the opponent’s king to fewer ranks or files.
The lone king can receive its final blow by placing the guarded queen directly in front of him.
Alternatively, the queen can be placed on the opponent’s king’s solitary file or rank, with the dominant king occupying the oppressed king’s flight squares.
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We will evaluate an example to arm you with the correct ideas required in carrying out this mating operation with ease.
We have a King + Queen vs. King situation in the position above. To defeat black, White must follow the correct queen and king checkmate pattern.
When it comes to mating the opponent’s king, there is a general principle you should know.
Restricting The Movement Of The King
MATE CANNOT HAPPEN AT THE CENTER OF THE BOARD, SO THE KING MUST BE PUSHED TO THE EDGE.
The reason for this rule is that moving the king to the edge reduces the number of flight squares available to the king, making queen and king checkmate more likely. This forceful quarantine of the enemy king requires the use of both files and ranks when the fighting king is not within range. The queen must be careful not to allow the king slip out of enclosing cell of squares.
This mistake usually occurs when the attacking player is tempted to deliver an irrelevant check. A reoccurrence of this amateurish act can ruin the queen and king checkmate with a draw; either by repetition or by move rules.
Now, white can start with 1. Qd7!
The black king’s access to flight squares is immediately blocked off with this stealthy move. The black king is forced to move to f6, which is the only vacant square.
1… Kf6 2. Kf4
White pushes his king steadily, forcing the opponent’s king to the board’s edge.
2… Kg6 3.Qe7 denying the black king any useful flight squares
3… Kh6
(3… Kh5 would have resulted in a more rapid mate with 4. Qg5#)
White may now immediately oppose the king and force in mate in two moves because the king has been pushed to the last file.
4. Kf5 Kh5 This is Black’s only move
5. Qg5#
If White wanted, he could also choose to deliver mate on h7 with Qh7#.
Avoid Stalemate
The first stalemate threat occurs when the enemy king sits in one of the corner squares. In this case, it is crucial not to place your queen a knight’s move away from that corner!
In the diagram above, the White queen prevents the Black king from having any legal moves because it sits a knight’s move away from the a8 square, on c7. It would also be a stalemate if the queen were on b6.
The easiest way to avoid this stalemate is to make sure the enemy king has at least two safe squares before trapping it in a corner. For instance, if the White Queen were on d7, the Black king could harmlessly shuffle back and forth between a8 and b8.
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