Queen (chess) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chess pieces |
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King |  |
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Queen |  |
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Rook |  |
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Bishop |  |
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Knight |  |
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Pawn |  |
The queen (♕, ♛) is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. Because the queen is the strongest piece, a pawn is promoted to a queen in the vast majority of cases.
The queen's movement
The queen moves like a bishop and rook both. Although both players start with one queen each. A player may promote a pawn to a piece, usually a queen, when the pawn is reaches the last line of the opponent team.
History of the queen in chess
The IndoArabic game lasted for nearly a thousand years until the end of the 15th century. In it, the piece next to the Shah was the Firzān or Visier, who was a counsellor. This piece had a movement even more limited than the king: it moved just one square at a time, on the diagonal. Not surprising, then, that when the move changed into its modern form, the Italians called the new game schacci alla rabioso (~furious chess).
Images for kids
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Vizier piece from a Southern Italian chess set, 12th century
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Queen from Spain, 12th-century (walrus tusk)
See also
In Spanish: Dama (ajedrez) para niños
