Each of us takes understandable pride in our Country or Nationality. Here, in the United States, we celebrate our Independence Day, on July 4, with fireworks. I can think of no more spectacular fireworks in chess than the Queen Hunt!

In my games on ChessManiac.com, I have been engaged in four Queen Hunts in just the past two months. I want to show how players give up their queens in hopes that this will be useful to ChessManiac.com players.

One of these games is the most interesting game that I have played in years. In this game BOTH of the players were on a queen hunt! My opponent was my Aussie friend, Gasparking. Here is the description of these simultaneous hunts:

Chessmaniac Game #6013336,
Gasparking vs. alfredjwood

White Black
1. d4 d5
2. c4 e6
3. a3 … Best here is probably 3. Nc3; White seems concerned with preventing Blacks occupation of b4. However, this ‘preventive’ move concedes Black a tempo.
3. … c6 The usual move is Nf6, but Black hesitated to make that move before White played Nf3. Two other moves, however, are both better: c5 or Nd7. (Given the position again, I would play Nd7. Al) As a result of the next few moves, an unusual pawn structure creates an unusual game.
4. c5 … Preparation for a queenside attack.
4. … e5 beginning an attack on the center.
5. e3 Be6 This is in contravention of Capablancas’ advice to capture with the Kings Pawn at every opportunity. (This is the first time I remember ignoring that advice. I was over-concerned with getting my Queens Knight into play without blocking in the Bishop. Al) These two (c6 and Be6) mispositions were instrumental in the pawn formation developed.
6. Nc3 Nd7 Still ignoring the pawn capture.
7. b4 … Preparing the queenside attack.
7. … g6 The Kings Knight needs e7, so the bishop will have to come out via the fianchetto.
8. Bd3 e4 Now, the pawns are locked!
9. Be2 …

Here is the point at which planning is essential. Looking at the board, the diagonal pawn lock is the dominant feature. White has control of the Queenside. His pieces will experience difficulty in getting to the Kingside. Black has control of the Kingside, his pieces will have difficulty in getting to the Queenside. In the absence of levers, only a sacrifice will open any of the central files. White must attack on the a- and b- files, creating a pass on the seventh and eighth ranks thru which he can flow to the Kingside. Black must attack on the f-, g- and h- files. Both sides must strike at the opponents pawn base (f2 and b7). Until some lines are opened, the bad White Bishop and the Rooks will be virtually unusable.

9. … Bg7
10. Bg4 … This move exchanges whites good bishop; it also provokes Black’s next move.
10. … Qg5
11. Bxe6 Qxg2
12. Bxd7 Kxd7
13. h3 Qxh1
14. Kf1 … The Black Queen has no escape square! Black has won the exchange and a pawn, but his queen is now consigned to inactivity. He must get some help to her. Both kings are out of position, White’s King should have been castled to the Queenside, and Black’s King should be in a protected position on the Kingside.

14. … Ne7
15. Qg4+ …

White has his queen in play, and the Black King is alone in the middle of the board. Whites problem is in getting help to his Queen. Meanwhile, the Black Queen is still in jail.

15. … Nf5 Although this move appears to be defensive; the Knight is on his way to rescue the maiden from the tower.
16. Qf4 … Visions of sugarplums dance in her head. White transitions to a queen sortie! He sees Qd6. However, the Black Queen cannot be interned indefinitely, White needs to get the Queens Knight into the attack on the Black Queen: Ne7-g6.
16. … h5 Now the hunt for the White Queen gets underway.
17. b5 … White begins the Queenside attack, belatedly. He may have too many goals now: nullifying the Black Queen, preserving his own Queen, and attacking on the other side of the board. The queenside attack and rescue of his own Queen may be seen as a single effort, but not enough time exists to also attack the enemy Queen because the free Knight is the only piece available for the job.

17. … Bh6
18. Qe5 … This is the only square available to the Queen! Both Queens are being hunted, but the pressure is lessening on the Black Queen.

18. … Rae8
19. Qf6 Rhf8 The door slams shut on the Queen.
20. Nxe5 … Banzai! The gallant knight rides to the rescue, but it simply delays the inevitable.
20. … cxd5
21. c6+ Kc7
22. Bd2 … Can White wriggle out?
22. … Re6 Another door slams shut!
23. b6+ axb6
24. Qxe6 Ng3+!
25. fxg3 fxe6+
26. Ke2 Qg2+ The former prisoner is now the attacker. White resigned.

Many Queen hunts begin early in the game, when the Queen comes down the board too early. I liken the Queen to an aircraft carrier. She is the most powerful weapon in the fleet. When the aircraft carrier goes into enemy waters, she always goes with escorts! Destroyer escorts engage enemy forces targeting the carrier. The queen, too, needs the protection of the minor pieces when she sallies forth. Here are the first moves of a recent game on ChessManiac.com, where the Queen comes out too soon, and escorts are left in port:

White Black
1. e4 e6
2. d4 Qh4 There are many good moves for Black, 2. … d5 is the most frequently played, but this Queen sortie is a major mistake. White begins the hunt, now, on only the third move of the game!
3. Nf3 Qxe4+

This is what Black wanted from the sortie; a pawn with check and with a possible attack on the rook. But White has a knight on the field, and now a bishop will come into play.
4. Be2 f6
5. Nc3 Qg4
6. 0-0 Bd6

At last, the Black escort appears; but it is already too late. White’s pieces control the field of play. The Black Queen moves that are used to capture a pawn and to evade capture result in a great advantage in development for White, because of tempo gain.
7. Ng5 Qh4
8. g3 Qh6 The lady is running out of space.
9. Bh5 g6

The Queen is lost.

10. Nxe6 dxe6
11. Bxh6
White loses two minor pieces in the skirmish, but ends up with the Queen and a winning position.

Sometimes the Queen hunt begins deep in the middle game; and sometimes saving the queen requires giving up material, space and time! Here is an excerpt from another recent ChessManiac.com game, this is the position after move 26:

White Black
27. Rh4 … White attacks. But d6 needs more protection, or the queen needs some escape.
27. … Bd3
28. Bc2 Rfd8 Blacks rooks support an attack on the queen by supporting c6, c7 and d6
29. Bxd3 Nxd3
White can temporarily save the queen by giving up a rook and allowing a strong attack by white by playing 29. … Rxd3, but he goes down swinging:
30. Rg3? Rc1+

The Queen is lost.

Today’s moral is: Treat your Queen with loving care, or she will elope with your rival! And be alert for a trapping opportunity if Her Majesty is separated from her escort; The Queen hunt forces the opponent to focus on saving the Queen, and you can exact tribute, in the form of development, tempo and sometimes material, for any attempted rescue. Al