How to Use the Knight | Chess

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This is David Sullivan with the knight and how to use it.

This is a white knight. You begin the game with two white knights. A knight moves in an L-shape like from here D4 goes one, two and then one. Notice the letter L, but this L can be backwards, one,two one in this direction or it can be kind of sideways and upside down. The knight always goes one two and then it turns, one, two and then it turns, one two and then it turns.

The knight, for instance, to get from F1 on the first rank all the way over here in four moves, you could go up two and turn, up two and turn, up two and turn, and then it could go to the side two and turn to reach the other side of the board.

The knight has one special power. It can jump. So even if the knight were, say, surrounded by these black pawns and kind of used as targets here the knight can jump over the pawns like it could go jump one two, jumping over this pawn on E4 and then turns landing on F5.

From F5 it could go one two, jumping over these two. squares landing on the E3 square. Whatever you land on in chess you capture. From E3 the knight could go up two one to the side landing on the pawn in D5, or it could go to the side too jumping over these two pawns landing on the pawn on C4.

Move, move, turn; move, move, turn. So move, move, turn, we capture the pawn. Move, move turn, jump, jumping over the pawn and capture the pawn. Jumping over the pawn, jumping over the E3 square landing on E4 capturing it. Jump, jump, capture; jump, jump, capture; jump, jump, capture; and then finally jump, jump, capture.

At the beginning of the game and the knights who cam jump over of chess the only pieces that can move are the pawns who block everybody else and the knights who can jump over the pawns.

[Adeshgrg]

Generally moves like an L shape but in blitz can be very unpredictable

[johnparadise]

He forgot to mention that in addition to being able to move two steps, and then one step, that you can also move one step and then two steps.

[aleksk]

the knight is my favourite piece. It's the most interesting one!

[joeroganpodfantasy]

I have come to the conclusion that learning that the knight moves in the form of the L is really bad especially for visualization and seeing really fast where the knight can go.
And its a bad habit that it will be harder to break as you get more experience and hinder your progress.

Instead of everytime you see the knight you have to think of all the L it can do.

Think of the color of the square and dont think of where it moves but what squares it controls its the same but not really cause you are seeing all the options at once instead of doing L calculation which take a lot of time for the brain.

Instead this will take a moment to understand but it will make everything easier in the long run.

Look at the knight, look at the color square he controls. Now draw 1 square arrow diagonally which is the same color square as your knight. Now the outside adjacant squares which are the opposite color of your knight are the squares the knight controls.
Think of it as an Y with the base of the Y starting where your knight is.
And its pretty easy to visualize 2 4 or all 8 squares that the knight controls.

Again to see the whole picture.
See the 4 same colored squares around your knight, and all 8 adjacent different colored squares are the ones the knight controls.

It might seem hard as I say it but with a board in front of you its easy.

So the knight starts at the base of the Y and can finish on each branch of the Y .
Than as you get more familiar you will see all 4 Y's .

I dont know how GM see it in their mind.

[briandrescher]

The knight moves to the closest space that the queen cannot move to.

[lpsdashingdachshundproduct]

All these howcast videos have helped a lot. I subscribed because I am now ready for my chess tournament on Saturday. Thanks so much

[dinofrog]

If you watch this on LSD it's about a psychotic horse breaking down and brutally slaughtering eight innocent corn farmers.

[feelzthedon]

This was an awesome video. It made me to appreciate the beauty of the knight so much more.

[misamissy]

In mexico its also called Horse (Caballo)
in diferent parts of the world the pieces have diferent names, or not way too diferent, just variations :)

[kottenkandie]

U make it look as if the knight is over powered xD

[bcarld]

I am fairly new to chess and your videos are amazing, so clear and fun to learn from. Thanks.

[robertc.]

Im sure most understand this, I thougt you would give a few tips to rampage with the Knight. The happens to be my favorite piece in Chess. I can check a King or Queen in the moves, depending if the opponent moves the right pawn or not. Bishops happen to be my second favorite piece. Can easily cut off main route for Queen, Pawns, and the enemies Bishops. Chess kicks ass.

[redditstories]

When Kings college got you playing chess...

[TKluvme]

Thanks, now I understand it for the very first time. :)

[shimamahmoud]

I needed to know this to solve a programming problem, but I then decided to learn chess and be a chess player

[antifreestyle]

One question, can knight jump over other pieces other than pawn?

[tearyraindrop]

Can the knight jump over his own pieces ? Or just the opponent players pieces?

[carschannel]

Also knights can check in the appropriate move threatinig other pieces like pawns bishops rooks queen and the king

[joshuaoconnor]

It’s not one two one. It’s one diagonal and one forward (or backwards). A tip I learned recently which helps me visualize better

[Mikeplaysdbd]

So if u we're gonna move your knight at the being off the game would u count 12 and then do it