Knight, king and pawn
In short
The knight moves in an L: two squares in one direction and then one square to the side. It is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, and every time it moves it changes square colour.
By the end you can
- Move the knight in an L-shape and knows it can jump
- Move the king one square
- Move pawns forward and captures diagonally
The lesson
The knight moves in an L: two squares in one direction and then one square to the side. It is the only piece that can jump over other pieces, and every time it moves it changes square colour.
The king moves one square in any direction. It is not a weak piece — in the endgame it becomes a fighter — but it can never move to a square that is attacked.
Pawns move straight forward one square, or two squares on their very first move. They capture differently from how they move: one square diagonally forward. A pawn can never move backwards, so every pawn move is a decision you cannot take back.
Key points to remember
- Knight jumps in an L and changes colour
- King: one square, never into attack
- Pawns move forward but capture diagonally
- Pawns never go backwards
Examples
Show the moves
1. Nf6+
Show the solution
62. Rxg4+ Qxg4 63. Rxg4+
Practise it
Solve puzzles on this idea: fork puzzles.
Homework
Knight tour game: move a knight from a1 to h8 in as few moves as possible.
More rules & board lessons
- The chessboard and its coordinates (Foundation)
- Long-range pieces: rook, bishop and queen (Foundation)
- Check and the three ways out (Foundation)
- Castling (Foundation)
- Promotion and en passant (Foundation)
- What the pieces are worth (Foundation)