Knights are often the trickiest pieces for beginners to master. Instead of moving in straight lines like the other pieces, the knight has a unique L-shaped move. The knight also has the ability to jump over other pieces in its path. While all the other pieces can find their route blocked by friendly and enemy units, the knight suffers no such obstruction. Because of this jumping ability, the knight is often the first piece into the action, and even experienced players can be bamboozled by its hopping manoeuvers! Each player starts the game with two knights.
The knight moves in an L-shape, either two squares vertically and one square horizontally, or two squares horizontally and one square vertically. This means the knight has, at most, eight possible squares it can jump to, as illustrated on the board below:
It doesn't matter if any of the intervening squares are occupied, the knight jumps over everything in its path to land at its chosen destination. On the board below, take the black knight and make a legal move:
The knight captures the same way as it moves. On the board below, use the white knight to make a capture, but make sure you capture the right piece!