user-1: I'm a new player =I just started playing again after an over 10 year hiatus. I'm (sadly) in the 600s.
I've been studying openings and I seem to do better in games where I can use the Italian game or Ruy Lopez. However, there's a strange game that I continually lose a slow and painful game against and it's the family of plays that have the queen out causing havoc early. In particular, the [Wayward Queen Attack][1] has been at the heart of every game I've lost in the last 3 days.
I mostly contribute this to my lack of piece development out of fear of losing pieces to a queen. How should I counter it?
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayward_Queen_Attack "The Wayward Queen Attack"

user18644: Here's a great little trap where when you can try trapping their queen. The only out of the trap is accepting a queen exchange .

user20776: I have never lost against this and only a handful of people have tried it on me.  Straightforward development does the job very nicely.  Be patient and just play positionally and black will get a good game.
Nc6 protects the pawn.  Threatening Nf6 attacking the queen and gaining the initiative.  White could try Bc4 to get a mate but P-g3 stops that and white has a misplaced queen and trouble developing the king side horsey as well as it could have been. 

user307: I believe that 2...Qe7 is reasonable approach especially for beginner. It protects the e5 pawn; it protects the f7 square: less things to worry about. Black development plan would be something like this: Nc6, g6, Bg7, Nf6, 0-0.

user10397: I have played against this opening in many blitz games online and I think it just amounts to unnecessary  loss of tempo for white because because black can play  1.Nc6
protecting the pawn and also developing the knight.
After white played Bc4 threatening mate on f7 black chases the Queen by playing g6, usually  the Queen moves to f3 still attacking f7 then you can develop your other Knight by playing Nf6 white usually replies with c3 preventing Nd4... black usually has a good game after that.

user4418: First of all, despite the stigma attached to early queen moves Nakamura has played the white side of 1. e4 e5 2. Qh5 several times in top level play, so it is a move you should treat with respect.
The best approach is probably to play moves like 2... Nc6 to protect the e pawn, 3... g6 to kick away the queen, then Nf6, Bg7, castles to get your king safe. Then if the white queen is still in the middle of the board try and attack it with your pieces.
Then you are in a normal game and if you blunder pieces because of your low rating then consider that your low rating is probably because of your poor tactical ability. To correct this you need to work on tactics. Learn about pins, forks, skewers, discovered attacks, etc. and do lots of puzzles to try and improve.

-1: <p>I'm a new player =I just started playing again after an over 10 year hiatus. I'm (sadly) in the 600s.</p>
<p>I've been studying openings and I seem to do better in games where I can use the Italian game or Ruy Lopez. However, there's a strange game that I <em>continually</em> lose a slow and painful game against and it's the family of plays that have the queen out causing havoc early. In particular, the [Wayward Queen Attack][1] has been at the heart of every game I've lost in the last 3 days.</p>
<p>I mostly contribute this to my lack of piece development out of fear of losing pieces to a queen. How should I counter it?
[1]: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayward_Queen_Attack" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayward_Queen_Attack</a> &quot;The Wayward Queen Attack&quot;</p>
 18644: <p>Here's a <a href="https://youtu.be/z585PZjuWAg" rel="nofollow noreferrer">great little trap</a> where when you can try trapping their queen. The only out of the trap is accepting a queen exchange .</p>
 20776: <p>I have never lost against this and only a handful of people have tried it on me.  Straightforward development does the job very nicely.  Be patient and just play positionally and black will get a good game.</p>

<p>Nc6 protects the pawn.  Threatening Nf6 attacking the queen and gaining the initiative.  White could try Bc4 to get a mate but P-g3 stops that and white has a misplaced queen and trouble developing the king side horsey as well as it could have been. </p>
 307: <p>I believe that <code>2...Qe7</code> is reasonable approach especially for beginner. It protects the e5 pawn; it protects the f7 square: less things to worry about. Black development plan would be something like this: <code>Nc6, g6, Bg7, Nf6, 0-0</code>.</p>
 10397: <p>I have played against this opening in many blitz games online and I think it just amounts to unnecessary  loss of tempo for white because because black can play  1.Nc6</p>

<p>protecting the pawn and also developing the knight.
After white played Bc4 threatening mate on f7 black chases the Queen by playing g6, usually  the Queen moves to f3 still attacking f7 then you can develop your other Knight by playing Nf6 white usually replies with c3 preventing Nd4... black usually has a good game after that.</p>
 4418: <p>First of all, despite the stigma attached to early queen moves Nakamura has played the white side of <code>1. e4 e5 2. Qh5</code> several times in top level play, so it is a move you should treat with respect.</p>
<p>The best approach is probably to play moves like <code>2... Nc6</code> to protect the e pawn, <code>3... g6</code> to kick away the queen, then <code>Nf6</code>, <code>Bg7</code>, castles to get your king safe. Then if the white queen is still in the middle of the board try and attack it with your pieces.</p>
<p>Then you are in a normal game and if you blunder pieces because of your low rating then consider that your low rating is probably because of your poor tactical ability. To correct this you need to work on tactics. Learn about pins, forks, skewers, discovered attacks, etc. and do lots of puzzles to try and improve.</p>
