Basics · Lesson 4 of 12 · 2 min read
How Does the Queen Move in Chess?
By James Dulay · Updated 14 November 2026
The queen is the most powerful piece in chess. She moves like a rook and a bishop combined: any number of squares along ranks, files and diagonals. She cannot jump over pieces. She is worth about 9 points.
Try it in 3DHow the queen moves
From the centre of an empty board the queen controls 27 squares: the 14 a rook would reach plus the 13 a bishop would reach. That range makes her excellent at attacking several pieces at once, a tactic called a fork.
Using the queen well
Because she is so valuable, the queen is easy to chase. Bringing her out in the first few moves lets your opponent develop pieces with gain of time by attacking her. Develop your knights and bishops first, then bring the queen into play.
Trading your queen for anything less than another queen usually loses material. Losing the queen for nothing is the most common way beginners lose games, so before every move check whether your queen is safe.
Interactive lesson
Practise the queen on a 3D board
Pawnorama walks you through this lesson step by step. You make every move yourself, with hints when you need them. Free, no account needed.
Start the lessonCommon questions
Can the queen move like a knight?
No. The queen moves only in straight lines and diagonals and cannot jump.
Can you have two queens?
Yes. When a pawn reaches the last rank it can be promoted to a queen, even if you still have your original queen.
Why is the queen worth 9 points?
She combines the movement of a rook (5) and a bishop (3), and her range makes her worth slightly more than the sum.