CHESMAYNE

Ave Till

Queen

	QU
	Monogram	QU figurines	Xiangqi QU figurines
Staunton QU piece	Shogi QU figurine	Graphics of Staunton QU pieces

The QU is the sexiest (curvaceous) of the modern pieces and has undergone changes in name, sex and power. In Shanranj this MP was called (Farz or, Firz), meaning Counsellor or, General. The French may have changed it into Fierce, Fierge, and Vierge (Virgin), which if true, might explain why this MP became female. Another view is that a PA on reaching R$08 was elevated in value and became a ‘Farz’ - a promotion similar to that in Draughts or Checkers. Thus the PA became a Dame or, QU2 as in traditional chess, and then Dames, Dama, Donna etc. The BS amongst the Persians was called Pil (elephant) but the Arabs not having the letter ‘p’ in their alphabet, wrote it Fil, or, with their definite article, Al-Fil (the-elephant). It was the next in command and a force assisting the Counselor or Minister (AD1, our QU). French: to queen a pawn - promouvoir un pion (dame).

#	Language	Piece	Game Name
01	English Monogram	Queen QU	Chess – Chesmayne
02	French	Dame	Les echecs
03	German	Dame	Schachspiel
04	Italian	Donna	Gli scacchi
05	Spanish	Dama	Ajedrez
06	Portuguese	Rei	Xadrez
07	Russian	Ferz	IIIaxmatbl
08	Arabic	Firz	Ash-shatranj
09	Latin	Regina	Scaci

The QU may move any number of cells vertically, horizontally or diagonally.

This diagram shows  how the QU moves. She may move  up, down, left, right and diagonally.  In the center of the board, she can go up to 27 cells.	The moving proprieties of the QU can emulate those of the KI, RO, BS and PA but not the KT as shown above with red marks.
The QU is blocked by a friendly piece, a RO. Here the QU cannot move to the cell occupied by the RO nor the cells that lie beyond: G07 and H08.	The QU can capture the KT by removing him from the board and placing herself on the cell G04. The QU cannot move beyond (red mark).

“For what’s a play without a woman in it?”

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I, c. 1585 [see ‘Venus’]
Photo © Simon & Schuster, New York, 1993; Pearls Ornament and Obsession.

01 Queen (QU) - QU1, QU2 etc. Queens’s Messenger = Vaunt Courier (VC). Originally called ‘mantri’ (counsellor or minister), it was only allowed to move one cell diagonally. When chess first arrived in Europe the QU was permitted to leap three cells. By 1475 the QU obtained her present power of moving along the length of all diagonals, ranks and files. In some countries a PA was not permitted to be promoted/enrobed to QU2 as this was seen as promoting bigamy.

Queen. One of the ‘Charlemagne’ pieces. Ivory. Italy end of the 11^th Century. Paris Cabinet des médailles.

02 The Corps of QUs messengers/KIs messengers (England) have for more than 800 years carried the most secret of messages of royalty and government to the four corners of the globe. They are Britain’s oldest, smallest and most exotic government service which employs a small band of wo/men to carry diplomatic bags and are expected to guard them with their lives. These MoD couriers, who work closely with the Foreign Office’s QUs Messengers, provide a secure service for carrying material classified secret and above outside Great Britain and for top secret and special category material within the United Kingdom. They receive and dispatch and distribute 50,000 items of the nation’s secrets worldwide every month.

03 Indrani: QU of India (famous for her golden skin and great sensuality, the ideal of Indian womanhood).

04 All ants work for the QU ant and the hive.

Valley of QUs Egypt

05 Haimati (India): ‘The Snow QU’ (goddess of the Himalayas).

06 Rigantona (Celtic): Great QU.

07 During the middle ages theology was known as the QU of science.

08 ‘The Faerie Queene’ was written in 1590 by Edmund Spenser and recounts the glories of QU Elizabeth-I (1533-1602), who was also known as the Virgin QU and ‘Good QU Bess’, and the period in which she reigned is known as the Elizabethan Age. Cynthia: the Moon (Artemis, Diana). Applied to Elizabeth-I by poets.

Queen Bianca, by artist A. Edelfelt, is a lovely and engaging portrait of a mother and child, unique and universal at the same time. The original now hangs in the Museum of Finnish Art in Helsinki. High quality 1,500 piece puzzle, manufactured in Spain by Educa. 33.5 x 23.6 inches.

09 Cat: a mother cat is called a QU. Tabby comes from ‘tabbi’, black and white silk imported from Attabiya, part of old Baghdad. The Turkish ‘Van’ cat is the only breed which loves swimming.

10 ‘The Snow QU’ by Hans Christian Anderson (1805-1875).

11 On an empty 8 x 8 board the QU may move between 21 and 27 cells depending on her cell position.

Valley of QUs Egypt

12 The Italians used to call QU1 ‘rabioso’ (furious) and the game itself ‘scacchi alla rabioso’. See QU under Major Pieces.

13 Mother: can be regarded by many people as both angel and villain, chaste vessel of purity, QU of wisdom and consummate idiot.

14 China: Hsi Wang Mu, ‘The QU Mother of the West’ (one of the most important figures in Chinese mythology).

15 The Magic Flute by Amadeus Mozart: opera. Prince Tamino is rescued from a serpent by the three attendants of the QU of the Night, who show him a picture of the QUs daughter Pamina, a captive of the evil Sarastro. Tamino falls in love with the potrait of Pamina. Aided by the bird-catcher Papageno and his magic flute, he sets out to save her. He and Pamina undergo a series of trials of endurance before they can be together.

16A The QU was in a furious passion, and went stamping about, and shouting, “Off with his head!” or “Off with her head!” about once a minute (Lewis Carroll 1832-1898).

16B The QU of Hearts, she made some tarts,

All on a summer day:

The Knave of Hearts, he stole those tarts,

And took them quite away!

(Lewis Carroll).

16C ‘There’s no use trying,’ she said: ‘one can’t believe impossible things.’ I dare say you haven’t had much practice,’ said the QU. ‘When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast’ (Lewis Carroll).

17 QU Elizabeth-I (1533-1603): “I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a KI, and of a KI of England too; and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain, or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm” (Speech on the approach of the Armada, 1588). Belphoebe: QU Elizabeth as a model of chastity. Cold as an icicle, passionless and like a moonbeam, light without warmth.

18 Sir Artegal: hero of volume five of Spenser’s Faerie QU. Emblematic of Justice. He rescued Irena (Ireland) from Grantorto. Boadicea or Boudicca: QU of the Iceni who encouraged the Britons to defend their country against the Romans. She lived in the first century AD. Her husband may have been Prasutagus or Esuprastus (mentioned by the Roman historian Tacitus).

19 Faerie QU (by Edmund Spenser). Allegorical romance of chivalry in six books. It tells of the adventures of various knights who belong to the court of Gloriana (typifying QU Elizabeth-I), who personify various virtues ie: Calidore, courtesy, Artegal, justice etc.

20 QU Marie Antoinette: “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche” (“Let them eat cake”).

21 QU Mab: fairy midwife. Romeo and Jiliet I, iv.

22 Maid Marian: female character known as the QU of the May.

23 QU of long distance roads: the Appian Way.

QU1 has undergone changes in name, sex and power. In Shanranj this MP was called (Farz or, Firz), meaning Counsellor or, General. The French may have changed it into Fierce, Fierge, and Vierge (Virgin), which if true, might explain why this MP became female. Another view is that a mp on reaching rank-8 was elevated in value and became a ‘Farz’ and not any other MP - a promotion that was of the same kind as that in Draughts or Checkers - in French: Dames. Thus the PA became a Dame or, QU2 as in the latter game, and thence Dama, Donna etc. The BS amongst the Persians was called Pil (elephant) but the Arabs not having the letter ‘p’ in their alphabet, wrote it Fil, or, with their definite article, ‘Al-Fil’. It was the next in command and a force assisting the Counselor or Minister (QU). The cinderella-type transformation called promotion (in Chesmayne the sharp symbol [#] is used to indicate this elevation in stature) is also called Queening (and really a Coronation), because the usual choice is QU2, the most powerful MP available. If the elevation is not to QU2 it is sometimes referred to as an underpromotion (KT3, BS3, RO3, KM3 etc). In the center of a clear board the QU commands 27 cells (D-Array). Be careful of playing QU1 in front of your KI as you could find yourself in +DC (discovered). Do not move QU1 at the beginning of the game as she may be attacked and be compelled to retire with the loss of many moves.

The QU is the most valuable MP on the board – worth 9 points. QUs always commence the game on a cell/square of their own colour.

Any number of cells/squares in ‘one’ direction only

Don not move the QU out too early as she could easily be trapped on a crowded board.

“She floats, she hesitates; in a word, she’s a woman”.

Queen - the most powerful MP - Queenly pre-eminence. Chaturanga: ‘Mantri’ or Minister. MR. Do not develop your QU too early during a game as she may be attacked and forced to retreat. Because the QU is so powerful she must always avoid capture. The QU is known by different names in differing countries:

01 Englsih: Queen. 02 French: Dame. 03 German: Dame. 04 Italian: Donna. 05 Spanish: Dama. 06 Russian: Ferz. 07 Arabic: Firz.

Below Left: QU1 may move to all 27 red cell/squares

Below Right: QU1 cannot pass PA2 and PA3

Below Left: QU1 can capture the PAs on File-07

Below Right: QU1 can capture all the PAs in the diagram

The QU was not a powerful MP until the last part of the 15^th century. In Indian and Arabic chess the QUs predecessor was a minister (MR) or Vizer (AD). The QU is the most powerful of all the chess MPs. The QU is the most powerful MP in the Chesmayne set, because she can move any number of cells and in eight different directions (forwards, backwards, to either side, and along all diagonals). The QU combines the moves of the RO and BS. The QU cannot jump over occupied cells (see ‘Grasshopper’) - only knights can do this. Because she is so powerful, the QU is the MP most often chosen for promotion when a mp reaches the top rank. A mp so promoted is indicated by QU2, QU3 in the Chesmayne Notation. The QU is the most important attacking MP, and if you have captured the B-QU you will have less to fear from leaving A-KI on one of the central files. The QU is really a RO+BS combined.

QUEEN (to)

01 ‘To QU a mp’ means to promote a mp and exchange the mp for QU2, QU3 etc.

02 Cho-Yo (Japanese Shogi player) has said ‘Quening a PA would be a ridiculous performance if we do not understand it chessonymously by esoteric connotation of the meaning of transmodifications of force of vitality. There is an exotery literally no ‘Queening a PA’ in the Science and Art of War - nay - all kinds of Struggles.’

QUEENING CELLS (enrobing cells)

The ranks of cells comprising this area. The cell on which a mp is promoted to any other MP of the same colour, apart from a KI. Level-1 = rank-8. The top rank of cells on a chess board on which a mp is promoted to QU2 or other MP. XP cells (purple).

QUEENSIDE

The side of the board containing file-A, B, C and D. The side of the chess board on which QU1 is positioned at the start of the game (ISP). For :A the left-hand flank. MPs/mps positioned on this side of the board are known as the QUs-BS, QUs-RO and QUs-KT. Level-1, the 32 cells to the left of the board.

QUEEN BEE

Greek mythology: mother goddess. Regarded as ‘the birds of the Muses’. Emblem of the Pharoh of Lower Egypt. They also signify immortality. Dionysus was nursed by bees.

QUEENS GAMBIT

The XY notation is shown on the left. The acentric notation is shown on the right.

01A PA4-D02/D04 - PA4-C03/A01

01B PA5-D07/D05 - PA5-C14/A04

02A PA3-C02/C04 - PA3-C02/B12

Set-up the board and play through the moves as shown above. The QUs gambit is not a real sacrifice of material, since :B cannot safely hold onto the offered A-PA3. You should take A-PA3. The gambit declined leads to difficult positional play while accepting it leads to more open positions. In the hands of a mature player it is one of the strongest openings that can be played. In the 1927 World Championship the QUs gambit was played in 32 of the 34 games.