Early Queen Exchange

This is something I see quite often in bullet and blitz chess and it baffles me. Scenario: it’s only been 4-5 moves, Queen column is open with your Queen in its starting square; opponent takes your Queen with their Queen; you can immediately take their Queen (usually with your King that’s right next to it)

What’s the point? I can’t see any strategic advantage at all to do a Queens exchange that early in the game. So those of you who seem to employ this strategy (and there are quite a few of you as this happens so often), please explain your logic.

Do you think you’re gaining a strategic advantage by eliminating the Queens from play? (If so, how?)
Or do you think your opponent will be intimidated and resign immediately or be put off their game, giving you an advantage?
What other reason?

You can't castle and usually the side that does take the queen in this fashion is at a slight advantage.

Yes I thought of that but failed to list it in my post. However, it seems likes a very minor advantage. And in many cases you can take your opponent’s Queen if you have a Knight on F3/E6

In bullet, when you don’t jVe much time to calculate, removing the most dangerous piece from play also removes the threat of a quick unseen mate or the chance that you’ll lose material on a simple overlooked move

Trading queens simplifies the board. Without queens on the board, the game is more calm and predictable.

Ok, I guess.

But it also makes the game less interesting IMO.

Well yes but in any case that knight is going back to the 8th rank and the other side gets the advantage of being a move ahead. In reality it's not always the best course of action but you should avoid putting yourself in situations where your opponent can do this to you.

Thanks, good point.

Another move (not related to queens exchange, but thought I’d mention it) that I see often but also puzzles me is…

Your opponent sees an opportunity to take an unprotected piece and moves a piece of equal value to attack it. You move another piece to defend the previously unprotected piece so it’s now protected. Your opponent goes ahead and takes the piece anyway in exchange for their piece. No net material gain.

I get that sometimes it’s strategically advantageous to do this, but very often it seems like they previously thought it was a good move (unprotected piece) but now they’re going to go ahead and do it anyway without gaining any actual advantage. Do you guys experience this? Maybe more so at the lower levels of play.

 

Anyone else the strategy behind an Early Queen Exchange? On King Exchange, I’ve been investigating (by the way) how this step disrupts the favorable race, because of its in fast games, play. Give-and-take of queens as an initial possibility offers you an incredibly interesting situation that is both comfortable and less aggressive, but it gives you the responsibility of ensuring that your surviving pieces are utilized to their maximum. There were some even more wild and far-out contests of people where those pulling off this round early and yet they were still masters of the board. What about you? What is your strategy? Do you prefer to do the Early Queen Exchange to toss up more challenge, or do you prefer to keep the complete action for later rounds? Share your experiences King exchange lets me test these strategies live as if it were no problem at all