Knight

The knight is a unique chess piece with special abilities. Its main difference from all other pieces is that it can jump over both friendly and enemy pieces. Neither the rook, bishop, king, nor queen can make the first move of the game because their paths are blocked by their own pawns.

For the knight, however, pawns are not an obstacle. It can simply jump over a pawn and make the very first move of the game. For example, it can move to f3 (Diagram №1).

The knight is worth approximately the same as the bishop—three pawns. It has both strengths and weaknesses. For example, the knight can move on both light and dark squares, while a bishop is forever confined to squares of one color. On the other hand, a bishop needs only one move to travel from one corner of the board to the opposite corner, while a knight requires as many as six moves to do the same.

How does the knight move?

As mentioned above, the knight can jump over both friendly and enemy pieces. The only requirement is that the destination square must not be occupied by one of its own pieces. The knight moves two squares in one direction and then one square at a right angle. The easiest way to understand this is by looking at Diagram №2.

As you can see, the knight on d4 has eight possible moves: e6, f5, f3, e2, c2, b3, b5, and c6. If a knight starts its move from a dark square, it will always land on a light square, and vice versa.

How does the knight capture?

The knight captures just like any other chess piece—by moving to the square occupied by the opponent’s piece. Let’s look at Diagram №3.

In the diagram, we see two white knights in different positions. The knight on f5 has several possible moves. Besides the ordinary moves to e3 and g3, it can capture the rook on g7 or h6, the pawn on h4, the bishop on d4, the knight on d6, and the queen on e7.

What about the knight on a1? Its only possible destination squares would be c2 and b3, but both are occupied by its own pawns. As a result, this knight has no legal moves at all in this position. The white pieces on b1, c1, a2, and a3 do not block it, but friendly pieces on its destination squares make any move impossible.

Why is the knight dangerous?

The knight’s greatest strength is its ability to attack multiple pieces at the same time. While forks by the bishop, rook, or queen are usually easy to spot, a knight fork can easily catch an opponent by surprise. Diagram №4 shows a move that destroys Black’s chances of winning.

The move is Ne2! The knight gives check to the black king while simultaneously attacking the opponent’s rook. A knight’s check cannot be blocked, so the black king must move away. As a result, White wins the rook on the next move and gains a decisive advantage. This tactical motif is called a fork.

Can a knight deliver checkmate?

The answer, just like with the bishop, is both yes and no. If only the two kings and a knight remain on the board, checkmate is impossible. However, if the opponent’s king is restricted by its own pieces, a knight can deliver checkmate. An example is shown in Diagram №5.

The black king is trapped by its own pieces, and the f7 square is unavailable, allowing White to deliver a beautiful knight checkmate. Without pieces restricting the enemy king, however, checkmate with only a king and knight is impossible. A rook, queen, or bishop is needed to complete the mating attack. Checkmating with a bishop and knight is one of the most difficult basic endgames, while checkmate with two knights is impossible against correct defense.

Where does the knight start the game?

In the starting position, the knights are always placed between the rooks and the bishops.

The white knights start on b1 and g1, while the black knights start on b8 and g8.