Queen
The most unusual piece—a leaper, not a slider
The Queen in Enochian Chess is radically different from standard chess. She is a leaper, not a slider.
Movement
The Queen leaps exactly two squares in any direction:
- Orthogonally (horizontal or vertical)
- Diagonally
She ignores blockers—pieces between her starting square and destination don't matter. She simply jumps over them.
Blue circles: valid destinations (exactly 2 squares). ✗: cannot stop here.
Capture Restrictions
The Queen has significant capture restrictions:
| Can Capture | Cannot Capture |
|---|---|
| Kings | Queens (any) |
| Rooks | Bishops (different network) |
| Knights | |
| Pawns | |
| Bishops (same network only) |
Queens Never Capture Queens
No queen can ever capture another queen. They are effectively invisible to each other, creating unusual board dynamics.
Diagonal Networks
Each queen is assigned to either the Aries or Cancer diagonal network at the start of the game. A queen can only capture bishops that share her network.
This creates asymmetric threats—a queen might threaten some bishops but be completely harmless to others.
Tactical Implications
The Queen's leap makes her excellent for:
- Forking pieces two squares apart
- Jumping over pawn chains and blockades
- Surprise attacks since she ignores intervening pieces
However, she struggles with:
- Long-range control (she can't sweep files or diagonals)
- Continuous pressure (must hop, can't slide into position)
- Capturing queens (simply impossible)
Summary
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Movement | Leap exactly 2 squares, any direction |
| Capture | Same as movement, with restrictions |
| Cannot Capture | Queens (never), Bishops (different network) |
| Network | Assigned to Aries or Cancer at game start |