Answers.Body: <p>Clearly there are trivial differences.  Instead of playing <code>e4</code> for a sharp game, White would play <code>d4</code>. (See Ignaz' answer)</p>
  
  <p>It would also be no different than allowing Black to move first with a normal setup. So no, it would make no difference.</p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.Body: <p>It <em>can</em> make a difference with respect to castling. As others have said, we just have a mirror of the regular startup, so a regular e4 becomes d4 and so on.</p>
  
  <p>That leaves the question what happens with castling? If this is just mirrored as well, then indeed there is no theoretical difference. So in this setup, what are the rules for castling?</p>
  
  <p>There may still be a <em>practical</em> difference, because one has to mirror their usual opening setups or and/or middlegame plans. Apart from that, it will be the exact same game.</p>
  
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Answers.CreationDate: 2015-05-18T09:39:50.440Z
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Answers.UserDisplayName: Ray
Answers.Body: <p>If both sides swap queen and king at the beginning, it is obviously still the same game, only mirrored in the middle. All theory would still be valid. </p>
  
  <p>Practically, it would be incredibly annoying to anybody intimately familiar with the normal setup. Even more so than the common quarter turn of the board, where all the squares have the wrong colour. </p>
  
  <p>If only one side swaps king and queen this would probably benefit white. White is usually the one who can open up lines first and in this chess version the black king would already be on the same line as the white queen.</p>
  
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Answers.UserDisplayName: BlindKungFuMaster
Answers.Body: <p>This does not make any difference.  Exchanging the positions of king and queen on both sides just corresponds to mirroring the whole game horizontally.  Thus they are equivalent.</p>
  
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Body: <p>In Canada, there is a variation of chess in which king and queen are swapped from the normal starting position. However, some argue this makes no difference. Canadians are split. So the question is:</p>
  
  <blockquote>
    <p>Does swapping king/queen from the onset affect the game?</p>
  </blockquote>
  
Tags: <chess-variants>
Title: King/Queen chess variation
ThreadText: # King/Queen chess variation
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2015-05-17)
  
  In Canada, there is a variation of chess in which king and queen are swapped from the normal starting position. However, some argue this makes no difference. Canadians are split. So the question is:
  
  > Does swapping king/queen from the onset affect the game?
  
  **Tags:** chess-variants
  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2015-05-17. Score: 7 | Accepted answer
  
  This does not make any difference. Exchanging the positions of king and queen on both sides just corresponds to mirroring the whole game horizontally. Thus they are equivalent.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_1 on 2015-05-17. Score: 1
  
  Clearly there are trivial differences. Instead of playing `e4` for a sharp game, White would play `d4`. (See Ignaz' answer)
  
  It would also be no different than allowing Black to move first with a normal setup. So no, it would make no difference.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2015-05-18. Score: 1
  
  It *can* make a difference with respect to castling. As others have said, we just have a mirror of the regular startup, so a regular e4 becomes d4 and so on.
  
  That leaves the question what happens with castling? If this is just mirrored as well, then indeed there is no theoretical difference. So in this setup, what are the rules for castling?
  
  There may still be a *practical* difference, because one has to mirror their usual opening setups or and/or middlegame plans. Apart from that, it will be the exact same game.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_3 on 2015-05-17. Score: 1
  
  If both sides swap queen and king at the beginning, it is obviously still the same game, only mirrored in the middle. All theory would still be valid.
  
  Practically, it would be incredibly annoying to anybody intimately familiar with the normal setup. Even more so than the common quarter turn of the board, where all the squares have the wrong colour.
  
  If only one side swaps king and queen this would probably benefit white. White is usually the one who can open up lines first and in this chess version the black king would already be on the same line as the white queen.
  
  
  ---
  
  