Black Queen vs. White Queen.
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The general rule is: when you are ahead, trade pieces; when you are behind, trade pawns. The queen is just another piece. If you are ahead in the game, then trade the queens off. If you are behind in the game keep the queen on and look for a perpetual check.
That's a decent general rule of thumb, but it's good to understand why. If there's a material advantage by one side, then the extra material counts for more when there's less on the board. For instance, using the old "point system" of 1,3,5,9 for the various pieces, each player starts with 39. If someone loses a knight, then it's now 39 vs 36. This is a 10% advantage for the winning side. Now trade off the queens, rooks, etc. A 3 point advantage is much more significant when the material difference is something like 15 vs 12 points or whatever.
As for trading queens in materially even positions, queens are most useful for attacking, but they can also be used for "saving" tactics, like the perpetual check mentioned above. If your opponent is doing the attacking, then you probably don't want him to have his queen to use in that attack. If you're doing the attacking, then you probably want to keep your queen to use in that attack.
It's all a matter of asking yourself: Is my queen more useful than his queen in this position? For that matter, any even material trade comes down to that question. Who needs their piece more? Don't trade your well placed pieces that you're using in an attack for their poorly placed pieces, but you should trade your weak, defending pieces for their strong attacking pieces.
--Fromper
I will trade queens if:
1) I have the advantage in pieces already
2) It will stop an opponent from castling (taking the queen where the only piece that can take it is the king; usually occurs near the beginning of a game)
or
3) I believe it will benefit me in the long run (I am in a better position)
[COMMENT DELETED]
medievalchess wrote:
usually when queens are off the board you don't need to castle anymore cuz you need your king to fight together with your pawns. so the king is more useful in the center. I'm talking in general. dunno what books are saying...
I will trade queens if:
1) I have the advantage in pieces already
2) It will stop an opponent from castling (taking the queen where the only piece that can take it is the king; usually occurs near the beginning of a game)
or
3) I believe it will benefit me in the long run (I am in a better position)
Apr 4, 2018
0
#7
tipish wrote:
medievalchess wrote:
I will trade queens if:
1) I have the advantage in pieces already
2) It will stop an opponent from castling (taking the queen where the only piece that can take it is the king; usually occurs near the beginning of a game)
or
3) I believe it will benefit me in the long run (I am in a better position)
usually when queens are off the board you don't need to castle anymore cuz you need your king to fight together with your pawns. so the king is more useful in the center. I'm talking in general. dunno what books are saying...
The person you quoted hasn't logged on in 9 years.
Also their account is closed.
I'm responding to the comment not to the man. fwiw
do you agree with that. or you still need to castle in general?
Apr 4, 2018
0
#11
I agree. I wouldn't usually trade queens if all it did was keep them from castling. Maybe 50% of the time. Depends on the specific position.
I'd add that more often than not you should avoid a queen trade if
- You have the worse pawn structure or
- If you have the initiative or
- If your king has pawn shelter and theirs doesn't
I'm never sure in a game whether to sacrifce my queen by taking an opponents queen. I'm not sure whether they depend on thier queen? and i've made a good move. or whether they attack better with other pieces and i've lost my best weapon? What do u think?