How the knight moves in chess
The knight moves in an L shape: two squares in one direction and then one square at a right angle. It is the only piece that can jump over others.
The rules in short
- A knight move is two squares along a line and one square across.
- It jumps over any piece in between, its own or the enemy's.
- It always lands on a square of the opposite colour to the one it left.
- From the middle of the board a knight can reach up to eight squares.
Why the centre matters
A knight in the middle of the board attacks up to eight squares. On the edge it attacks at most four, and in a corner only two. That is where the saying comes from: a knight on the rim is dim. Try to put your knights on squares near the centre.
The fork
Because the knight attacks in an unusual pattern, it is very good at hitting two pieces at once, a move called a fork. A knight fork on a king and a queen wins the queen, since the king must move. Watching out for forks, and making them, is one of the first tactics every player learns.
Try it on a real board
This lesson is free and needs no account. You move the piece yourself on an interactive board, and it tells you straight away if the move is right.
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