There are some positions in which it can be beneficial to underpromote a pawn into a knight, rather than a queen or rook: White Can Win the Queen by Underpromoting to a KnightĪdmittedly, underpromotions are very rare. Underpromotion to a KnightĪnother situation where the knight can play a critical role is in a pawn promotion. Paradoxically, it is often possible for two knights and a king to force a checkmate, when the opponent has a few pawns left, as they can be used to prevent a stalemate while checkmating. That means the opponent needs to play suboptimally (i.e. While a checkmate with a king and two knights is theoretically posible, the checkmate cannot be forced. The two knights endgame is a special type of endgame in chess, in which two knights with their king play against a lone enemy king. Since black is forced to defend the check, the knight can easily capture the black rook on h7, winning the game for white. The white Knight on f6 attacks both rook and king. Have a look at this example: A Knight Fork That Wins the Game for White Since the knight cannot be captured by pieces it is attacking (except by other knights of course), their forks are usually devastating. A fork is a tactic in which a piece attacks at least two enemy pieces at the same time. Forking with a KnightĪ common theme in chess is a knight fork.
Often, knights with a strong outpost can be worth about the same as a rook, depending on the position. Due to its centered position is attacks eight squares in total. It can never realistically be pushed away, as no pawns can directly attack it. The knight on d5 has an excellent outpost, dead in the middle of the board. Knights can be especially powerful in so-called “outposts”, where they can’t easily be pushed away from: A Knight’s Outpost Can Be a Strong Strategic Weapon A good saying to remember is “knights on the rim are dim” 🔅. In the center of the board the knight has eight potential squares it can move to, while it only has two squares when in the corner of the board. The knight is weakest in corners and the edge of the board, where its movement is restricted the most 👎. Generally, you want to have the knight as close to the center as possible, where it has the most potential moves. In closed positions, the knight is able to jump over blockades, whereas the bishop might be blocked in by a rigid pawn structure, rendering it almost useless. However, there are certain positions where the knight excels. In theory, that makes the knight and bishop worth about the same. The knight has a value of roughly 3 pawns. In chess notation, the knight is indicated with the letter N. The knight is considered a minor piece, alongside the bishop. Two squares vertically and one horizontally (or the other way around). Sounds complicated, but see if you can recognize that pattern in this animation: The Knight Moves in an “L”-PatternĪ relatively easy way to remember the knight’s movement, is to remember the distinct “L”-pattern it moves in. The knight may move two squares horizontally and one vertically, or two squares vertically and one horizontally in any direction. How the Knight Moves in ChessĪs we have already alluded to, the knight has a unique way of moving across the chess board. Make sure your knights are always directly besides your rooks, which always occupy the corner-squares. Since the knight is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, it is also the only piece that can start the game immediately, without moving the pawns first.Ī common beginner mistake is to swap bishops and knights in the starting position. In the starting position the four knights are surrounded by bishops, rooks, as well as pawns. See this diagram for the knights starting position in chess: The two white knights start the game on b1 and g1, while the two black knights begin on b8 and g8, respectively.
In total, there are four nights on the board at the beginning of a game. So, let’s do a deep-dive into the knight! Position of the Knights on the Board It has a very special way of moving across the board, as well as the ability to jump over other pieces 🦘.
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