Chess opening · ECO C20
King's Pawn Game: Wayward Queen Attack
1.e4 e5 2.Qh5 is the Wayward Queen Attack. White's queen jumps out before any minor piece, hitting the e5 pawn and, along the h5-e8 diagonal, the f7 pawn next to Black's king. The threats are real and Black has to answer them, but a queen this far forward is also a target that Black's knights and pawns can kick around while they come into play.
- Rank by weighted share
- #36 of 159
Key moves
1. e4 e5 2. Qh5
- 2. Qh5The queen attacks two pawns at once. Nothing defends e5, and f7 is guarded only by the king. If Bc4 follows, queen and bishop both strike f7, which is the Scholar's Mate pattern Black has to keep in view for the next few moves.
Guarding e5 first with 2...Nc6
The knight on c6 protects the e5 pawn and develops a piece in a single move. After 3.Bc4 the f7 square is hit twice, and 3...g6 shuts the queen's diagonal while attacking her. When the queen drops back to f3 to renew the threat along the f-file, 4...Nf6 blocks that file and brings out the second knight.
Developing the king's knight one move too early runs into the mate. After 2...Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6, White plays 4.Qxf7#, because the f6 knight attacks the queen on h5 but does nothing for f7.
Why 2...Nf6 at once drops the e5 pawn
Hitting the queen with 2...Nf6 looks natural, yet it leaves e5 hanging. White takes it with check, 3.Qxe5+, and Black has to block on e7 with the bishop or the queen. Black can then chase the queen again, but has given up a pawn for that time.
Kicking the queen while developing
2... Nc6 3. Bc4 g6 4. Qf3 Nf6
Each black move does two jobs. The knight defends e5, the g-pawn closes the diagonal toward f7 with a threat to the queen, and the second knight shuts the f-file. White's queen has already moved twice, while Black has both knights out.
Top replies by rating
Nf6 leads only under 1200. From 1200 up Nc6 tops every band with a share that keeps rising, and Qf6, which guards both f7 and e5, climbs into the top three from 1400.
| Rating | Top | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 1200 | Nf6 26% | Nc6 25% | d6 16% |
| 1200–1399 | Nc6 36% | d6 22% | Nf6 18% |
| 1400–1599 | Nc6 45% | d6 21% | Qf6 16% |
| 1600–1799 | Nc6 55% | d6 19% | Qf6 14% |
| 1800–1999 | Nc6 66% | d6 15% | Qf6 8% |
Questions
What should Black remember against 2.Qh5?
Protect e5 before anything else, then check f7 every time a white bishop or queen lines up on it. After that, look for moves that attack the queen and develop a piece in the same breath, which is how Black catches up in development.
Related openings
Try it on the board. The first coached game and three analyses are free.