The Queen Stays Home (and Scholar's Mate)

Why not bring out the strongest piece first? Because every time a cheap piece attacks your queen, your opponent develops FOR FREE while she runs. You end up playing one-against-many on time.

But there's one early-queen raid you absolutely must know: Scholar's Mate, the 4-move checkmate aimed at f7 — the softest square on the board, defended only by the king. First, how it punishes the unprepared: