The queenThe queen is rook and bishop in one body. She is the strongest piece — and the one that hurts most to lose.

The queen combines the two things you just learned: she moves like the rook (rank and file) and like the bishop (diagonal). As far as she likes, jumping over nobody. She is by far the strongest piece in the game.

Twenty-seven squares in a single move. Compare with the rook (14) and the bishop (13): the queen reaches what both reached together. That is why losing her for nothing almost always decides the game.

The queen can capture two things here: the black rook on d8 and the black pawn on g7. You only get one. Take the one worth more.

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