Queen Trades

Samantha212

| Oct 24, 2015 at 8:46 PM

| Posted in: Samantha212's Blog

| 2143 reads

| 17 comments

Hello Chess Fans,

William Shakespeare, pondering over a queen
trade, may have recited the immortal words of his
character Hamlet:
To trade, or not to trade: That is the
question? Whether tis nobler to suffer the
slings and arrows of your opponent's attacks
or to take arms against a sea of troubles by
trading off the queens.

It has been a question posed to chess players

throughout the centuries. Possibly Shakespeare
heeded the councel of his character Polonius when
he
advised
This above all: To thine own self be true.
To this day, this advice stands true by asking
ourselves the question: Who benefits from the
trade?
If you're true to yourself and it benefits your
position then you're in good councel. If it doesn't
benefit your position but your opponent's instead,
then avoid it if possible.
How do we know if a queen trade benefits
our game? Below are several factors to
consider:

Are you ahead in material either with pawns

or minor pieces? Then trading queens will simplify
your position and you can win in the endgame with
your extra material.

Are you down in material? Then avoid

trading queens if it benefits your opponent's
endgame
tactics.

Is your king unsafe? Will trading queens

make him safer?

Is your opponent attacking? Will removing

the queen defuse the attack?

Are you in the position of attacking? Then

avoid trading queens, you may need her to
checkmate!

Is your opponent's pawn structure

weak with isolated pawns or double pawns? Then
removing the queen may allow you to exploit them
by leaving defensive gaps that could put their
position
in
jeapardy.

On the other hand, if your position has

weak pawns, a queen trade could endanger and
further weaken your position.

Some players prefer to trade queens early in

the game, especially if itprevents their
opponent's king from castling, giving them a
tactical advantage with the king in the center of
the board.

Tactical opportunities to win a piece, which

forces a queen trade is usually winning, especially
when you're UP the exchange.
Is trading queens a good move? To thine own
self be true. Carefully study the board, the
configuration of the pieces, the pawn structures
and the flow of the game that dictates tactical
opportunites on both sides. Then only trade
queens if it benefits you directly. Exchange queens
on your terms whenever possible.

Trading Tactics

White to Move

g:(
Queen Trade Tactics in the London System

c5

White to Move

g:(
To Trade or Not to Trade?

White to Move

g:(
Let's watch the above position convert a Queen
Trade into a win:
Queen Trade Wins for White
Taking Advantage of Material Advantages & Pawn
Weaknesses

1... Qb6+Queen checks and offers an Exchange

2. Qxb6Takes the trade. His material advantages will win
in the endgame.
2... cxb63. Rxc2Picks up the bishop

3... Rh84. h4Nd8Defends the f7 pawn, which is under

attack by the bishop.
5. f5Gives the DS bishop some breathing room to move
and prevents the king from venturing out on e6.
5... Kc7The king tries to exit the other way. Rule of
Thumb in Endgames: Activate your King. White prevents
him from entering the center of the board.
6. Bd5BAM! The bishop keeps the king trapped on the
7th & 8th ranks.
6... Kd77. Rb2Attacks the b6 pawn
7... Nc6Black offers an exchange between the knight &
bishop.
8. Bxf7POW! Much more powerful to capture the pawn to
create two passed pawns.
8... Ne5Attacks the bishop
9. Be6+Easily refuted with check
9... Kc710. Re2With the pawn defended the rook
SWITCHES his attack to the knight.
10... Nd3+Checks with no tactical follow-through
11. Kg2Retreats
11... b5Pushes the pawn...The rook needs to stay on the
back rank to stop the pawn's promotion.
12. f7Rf8Blockades the pawns from promoting
13. Bh6WHAM! or so he thought. The power of the
bishop pair have reached their optimal strength!
13... Rb8Defends his pawn

14. f8=QWhite promotes

14... Rxf8Captures
15. Bxf8Recaptures
15... Nc5Attacks the bishop...pesky knight
16. f6With a passed pawn on the verge of promoting,
white is willing to exchange his bishop.
16... Nxe617. Rxe6Kd7Threatens to capture the rook
18. Re7+Kc619. Bg7Makes room for the pawn and
defends the queening square.
19... Kc5The king is finally able to munch on White's
pawns to create a passer of his own.
20. f7Kc421. f8=Qd5Blocks the check
22. Qf1+POW! The mating net tightens!
22... Kc523. Bd4+Kd624. Qf6#White's extra material
was no match for Black. It was not in Black's benefit to
Trade Queens.

f
J#,.@
Then there are players who intentionally plan
on exchanging queens early in the game to
prevent their opponent's king from castling,
keeping him in the center of the board. Let's
watch:

Early Queen Trades in the Opening

1. e4d62. d4Nf63. Nc3e54. dxe5dxe55. Qxd8+Kxd8

Black has a bit of a disadvantage, but once the Queens
are gone, castling is usually no longer a high priority for
many players. Black is compensated with easy
development of his bishops and will maneuver to connect
his rooks.

J#,.@
With the eternal words of Juliet, "Good Night,
Good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow,
that I shall say good night till it be morrow."

I hope this has shed some light on When to Trade

Queens. Look for the next in the series and feel
free to send a friend request to be notified of future
articles. Until then....Cheers.