Bringing the queen out too early means moving it before the knights and bishops, so the opponent can develop with tempo by attacking it with each new piece.
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Start0/8
The queen is worth more than any piece that attacks it, so it has to move away each time. Every one of those attacks is a free developing move for the opponent.
How to do it
- 1Develop knights and bishops before the queen.
- 2When the opponent's queen comes out early, attack it with pieces you were going to develop anyway.
- 3If an early queen aims at f7 or f2, guard that pawn first.
For your level
Keep your queen home at first. If their queen comes out, chase it. Use a new piece each time.
Common mistakes
- Weakening the pawns around your king to chase the queen, when a developing move would do.
- Answering with your own queen, which can then be chased too.
Questions
- How do you stop the four-move checkmate?
- The threat is Qxf7 mate, with a bishop on c4 behind the queen. Against Qh5, play ...g6 once e5 is defended: it blocks the attack on f7 and hits the queen, or with ...Qe7. Against Qf3, ...Nf6 blocks. Then keep developing.
- Is bringing the queen out early always bad?
- No. In the Scandinavian, 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 is a sound opening, because the queen recaptures a pawn. It does lose a move after 3.Nc3, which Black accepts.