The horse in chess: where the knight stands and what it is allowed to do

The horse in chess is also called the knight and has a special movement pattern. Used well, it can make the difference between winning and losing a game

The horse in chess – what characterizes the knight

The horse (also known as the knight) plays an important role in chess because it is the only piece that can jump over the others. Added to this is the knight’s unique way of moving, which makes it a particularly versatile and therefore valuable piece in the game of chess.

• Both chess players have two knights. The horses are each placed on the outer edge of the chessboard at the start of a game. The rooks are on the far outside and the knights are right next to them. Specifically, the black horses are on squares b8 and g8, while the white horses have their starting position on squares b1 and g1.

• A special feature of the knight is that it is the only piece, apart from the pawns in the front rank, that can open. This is made possible by the aforementioned special feature of horses, which allows them to jump over the other pieces, in this case the pawns.

• The horse always jumps two squares horizontally and then one square vertically or vice versa. However, the targeted square must not be on the same row, line or diagonal as the jumper’s current square. As a result, the horse’s new square can never be the same color as the starting square.

• Experienced chess players usually place their knights relatively quickly in the middle of the chessboard. The horse is difficult to attack there and also has many possible moves. The so-called knight fork is an exciting chess maneuver