Mad Queen chess

Mad Queen chess names a major transformation of European rules near the end of the fifteenth century. Its most visible change turned the old short-range counselor into a queen able to travel any unobstructed distance horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

Counselor to queen

The queen opens three lines

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The three lines start on d4 and reach d7, h4, and g7.

The modern queen reaches three directions

From d4, the modern queen travels along a file, a rank, and a diagonal. The historical counselor could move only one diagonal step, so it would not reach these targets.

1. The three lines start on d4 and reach d7, h4, and g7.

At about the same stage, the old alfil that leaped two squares gave way to the long-range bishop. With powerful queens and bishops, threats could cross the board quickly and kings faced much earlier attacks and checkmates. Checkmate means that the king is attacked and no legal defense remains.

Historical alfil to modern bishopFaster attack

The modern bishop slides

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The modern diagonals connect d4 with a7 and g7.

The modern bishop travels along the diagonal

The bishop on d4 reaches a7 and g7 along continuous lines. The historical alfil leaped exactly two squares and could not make these long journeys.

1. The modern diagonals connect d4 with a7 and g7.
2. The pawn on g7 stops the line before h8.

The term does not normally denote a separate modern variant. It is a historical label for the period in which medieval chess acquired central features of today's standard game. Other rules, including castling, still took time to become uniform.