Beginner

3. The Knight

Learn the knight's unique L-shaped move and its ability to jump over pieces.

Introduction

The knight is the trickiest piece on the board. It moves in an L-shape and is the only piece that can jump over others. Let's master its movement!

Lesson Content

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The knight moves in an L-shape: two squares in one direction and one square perpendicular (or vice versa). From d4, the knight can reach up to 8 different squares.

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1. ♘︎f5

The knight goes from d4 to f5: right two, up one.

Move the knight to f5—two squares to the right and one up.

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1. ♘︎f3

Move the knight from g1 over the pawns to f3.

In the starting position, the knight is the only piece (besides pawns) that can move—it jumps right over the row of pawns! Develop the knight to f3.

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1. ♘︎f5

The knight jumps in an L-shape to f5—no pawn can block it.

Here's an extreme example: the knight is completely boxed in by pawns on every adjacent square. This is a contrived position, but it drives the point home—pawns standing next to a knight cannot block it! Jump to f5.

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Knights on the edge or corner of the board have far fewer moves. A knight on b1 can only reach 3 squares, compared to 8 from the center. That's why knights belong in the center!