Answers.Body: <p>The definition is still a bit ambiguous, but here's what I found.</p>
  <p>The absolute soonest to move the queen is probably the French Defense: Chigorin Variation which begins with 1.e4 e6 2.Qe2.</p>
  <p>The Scandinavian with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 looks like the most common way to move the queen on move 2. I found a game by GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov in 2019 at standard time controls, which ended in a draw.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T17:24:09.363Z
Answers.Text: Scandinavian is also known as Center Counter Gambit, which I was otherwise going to post.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Joshua
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T22:40:29.333Z
Answers.Text: @Joshua It's not a gambit.
Answers.UserDisplayName: xehpuk
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T22:44:28.783Z
Answers.Text: I've heard it called the Center Counter, but yeah, it's not a gambit.
Answers.UserDisplayName: D M
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-10T03:42:49.890Z
Answers.Text: I think it was originally considered unsound. I have hundred year opening books. Unfortunately I have a hard time with modern chessbooks. I couldn't get the hang of black's pieces starting on his own seventh and eights ranks.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Joshua
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-08T11:46:30.453Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2021-01-08T11:46:30.453Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: D M
Answers.Body: <p>If you're looking for something more common than the Scandanavian, then I think the Classical Variation of the Nimzo-Indian is the most common opening with a queen move on move 4 or earlier:</p>
  <p>1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-08T20:49:11.677Z
Answers.Text: It is more common, but not by a ton; the chess.com database shows 20K games with Qxd5 Scandinavian and 25K with the Classical Variation.
Answers.UserDisplayName: D M
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T13:31:35.750Z
Answers.Text: @DM True, but that's mostly because it's a longer sequence. The classical variation involves either the most popular option or a reasonably close second at every point (with the least close being 1. d4); by contrast 1. ... d5 is far down the list after 1. e4.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Especially Lime
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T22:53:19.033Z
Answers.Text: Is that more common than 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5?
Answers.UserDisplayName: bof
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T23:02:05.477Z
Answers.Text: @Bof Both are more common than that one, which has about 13K games.
Answers.UserDisplayName: D M
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-10T18:26:31.860Z
Answers.Text: The classical variation has been played at the World Championship in 2000 Kramnik vs Kasparov match: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1252047, (there might be a more recent example) I am not sure if Scandinavian has ever been played at that level.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Akavall
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-08T20:36:02.140Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2021-01-08T20:36:02.140Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Alexander Woo
Answers.Body: <p>At the beginning the tendency to bring my queen out early was an urge I failed to control for my first few games. Nevertheless a pretty common opening where the queen is out in the first moves played is in the Scandinavian and the Scholar's Mate, these are two among a couple more openings.</p>
  <p>Scholar's Mate (Checkmate Sequence):</p>
  <pre><code>[FEN &quot;&quot;]
  
  1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5 Nf6?? 4. Qxf7#
  </code></pre>
  <p>In the Scandinavian Defense, Black meets 1.e4 by immediately putting the question to the e4 pawn, and bringing the queen out with Qxd5, on move two, the Mieses-Kotrč Variation.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T23:16:10.773Z
Answers.Text: The Scholar's Mate attempt with 3.Qh5 cannot be considered a "strong, modern opening".
Answers.UserDisplayName: D M
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T23:41:21.963Z
Answers.Text: No it isn't, I wanted to share the variation, I've seen the Scholar's Mate played in a modern game between two grandmasters in the World Rapid Championship (2018), albeit it is rare to find players of that rating opening with the Scholar's mate.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Adam
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T18:18:34.257Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2021-01-09T19:04:18.137Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2021-01-09T19:04:18.137Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Adam
Body: <p>I have noticed a tendency of weaker players to move their queen out very early (e.g. move 2-5), and conversely, a tendency for strong players to move their queen much later (usually later than move 5, but often not until move 7/8/9 or even later).</p>
  <p>What is the earliest the queen is moved in any strong, modern opening? By strong modern opening I mean only those used by grandmasters in competition under classical time controls (i.e. meaningful competition games, and no blitz/bullet games).</p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-08T11:44:53.580Z
Comments.Text: Depends on what you count as "strong" but you have 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 and 1.e4 e6 2.Qe2
Comments.UserDisplayName: David
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-08T12:20:24.427Z
Comments.Text: One word: Nakamura :-)
Comments.UserDisplayName: Hauke Reddmann
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-08T12:59:13.320Z
Comments.Text: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Qh4+
Comments.UserDisplayName: bof
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-08T14:13:11.963Z
Comments.Text: @David by "strong" - only what the best players would use in important games against ~equal opponents
Comments.UserDisplayName: stevec
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2021-01-09T22:57:23.527Z
Comments.Text: 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5
Comments.UserDisplayName: bof
Tags: <opening><theory><queens>
Title: What is the earliest queen move in any strong, modern opening?
ThreadText: # What is the earliest queen move in any strong, modern opening?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2021-01-08)
  
  I have noticed a tendency of weaker players to move their queen out very early (e.g. move 2-5), and conversely, a tendency for strong players to move their queen much later (usually later than move 5, but often not until move 7/8/9 or even later).
  
  What is the earliest the queen is moved in any strong, modern opening? By strong modern opening I mean only those used by grandmasters in competition under classical time controls (i.e. meaningful competition games, and no blitz/bullet games).
  
  **Tags:** opening, theory, queens
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: Depends on what you count as "strong" but you have 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 and 1.e4 e6 2.Qe2  
  > **username_2**: One word: Nakamura :-)  
  > **username_3**: 1. e4 e5 2. f4 Qh4+  
  > **username_0**: @username_1 by "strong" - only what the best players would use in important games against ~equal opponents  
  > **username_3**: 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5  
  
  ---
  
  ## 3 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2021-01-08. Score: 18
  
  The definition is still a bit ambiguous, but here's what I found.
  
  The absolute soonest to move the queen is probably the French Defense: Chigorin Variation which begins with 1.e4 e6 2.Qe2.
  
  The Scandinavian with 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Qxd5 looks like the most common way to move the queen on move 2. I found a game by GM Aleksandr Rakhmanov in 2019 at standard time controls, which ended in a draw.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_5**: Scandinavian is also known as Center Counter Gambit, which I was otherwise going to post.  
  > **username_6**: @username_5 It's not a gambit.  
  > **username_4**: I've heard it called the Center Counter, but yeah, it's not a gambit.  
  > **username_5**: I think it was originally considered unsound. I have hundred year opening books. Unfortunately I have a hard time with modern chessbooks. I couldn't get the hang of black's pieces starting on his own seventh and eights ranks.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2021-01-08. Score: 8
  
  If you're looking for something more common than the Scandanavian, then I think the Classical Variation of the Nimzo-Indian is the most common opening with a queen move on move 4 or earlier:
  
  1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e6 3 Nc3 Bb4 4 Qc2
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: It is more common, but not by a ton; the chess.com database shows 20K games with Qxd5 Scandinavian and 25K with the Classical Variation.  
  > **username_8**: @DM True, but that's mostly because it's a longer sequence. The classical variation involves either the most popular option or a reasonably close second at every point (with the least close being 1. d4); by contrast 1. ... d5 is far down the list after 1. e4.  
  > **username_3**: Is that more common than 1. e4 c5 2. c3 d5 3. exd5 Qxd5?  
  > **username_4**: @Bof Both are more common than that one, which has about 13K games.  
  > **username_9**: The classical variation has been played at the World Championship in 2000 Kramnik vs Kasparov match: https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1252047, (there might be a more recent example) I am not sure if Scandinavian has ever been played at that level.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_10 on 2021-01-09. Score: 2
  
  At the beginning the tendency to bring my queen out early was an urge I failed to control for my first few games. Nevertheless a pretty common opening where the queen is out in the first moves played is in the Scandinavian and the Scholar's Mate, these are two among a couple more openings.
  Scholar's Mate (Checkmate Sequence):
  [FEN ""]
  
  1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nc6 3. Qh5 Nf6?? 4. Qxf7#
  
  In the Scandinavian Defense, Black meets 1.e4 by immediately putting the question to the e4 pawn, and bringing the queen out with Qxd5, on move two, the Mieses-Kotrč Variation.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_4**: The Scholar's Mate attempt with 3.Qh5 cannot be considered a "strong, modern opening".  
  > **username_10**: No it isn't, I wanted to share the variation, I've seen the Scholar's Mate played in a modern game between two grandmasters in the World Rapid Championship (2018), albeit it is rare to find players of that rating opening with the Scholar's mate.  
  
  ---
  
  