Chess lessons › Chess strategy
Queen against two rooks
Two rooks that work together can beat a queen. A queen does better against loose rooks and weak pawns.
The idea
Rooks that work together can beat a queen; loose rooks may not.
- The rooks on e1 and e8 are doubled on a file no pawn blocks.
- Rf1 attacks the queen, which nothing guards, with tempo.
- The rook on e1 is ready to step along the first rank to f1.
In a game: Do the rooks share an open file? If they are loose, the queen is better.
How the lesson begins
Find the move
A queen is worth 9 points and a rook 5, so two rooks are worth 10. Here Black can take the rook on e1 with check, and after Rxe1 Rxe1+ Black will have given a queen for two rooks. Black to move. Find the first move.
A hint
Your queen can take a rook with check.
Show the answer
18... Qxe1+
Qxe1+. After Rxe1 Rxe1+ Kd2 Rae8, Black has two rooks and a bishop against a queen and a bishop. The engine puts Black nearly two pawns ahead, and it is Black’s first choice by a long way.
Step through the exchange. This is Erik Andersen with Black against Bjørn Nielsen, from a Danish championship game of 1934.
- 18... Qxe1+ 19. Rxe1 Rxe1+ 20. Kd2 The king steps out of check and attacks the rook on e1.
- 20... Rae8 The other rook guards it. The rooks are doubled on the e-file, which no pawn blocks. White has a queen and a bishop, Black two rooks and a bishop, and each side has seven pawns.
