Pieces & Activity

What does knight mean in chess?

  • Pieces
  • Activity
  • Coordination

In chess, knight refers to a piece that may move to any nearest square not on a rank, file, or diagonal on which it stands. In other words, it may move two squares horizontally or vertically and then one square perpendicular to that (forming an L shape), jumping over any pieces in the way.

Knight FAQ

What does knight mean in chess?

In chess, knight refers to a piece that may move to any nearest square not on a rank, file, or diagonal on which it stands. In other words, it may move two squares horizontally or vertically and then one square perpendicular to that (forming an L shape), jumping over any pieces in the way.

Train this pattern on your own games

Reading a definition is not the same as spotting the pattern with a clock running. Chessiro's free PGN analysis runs Stockfish 19 over every move you play, names the concept behind each mistake, and turns the positions where it cost you into training puzzles. You can also see the idea in action in the classic games collection, where the greatest players in history demonstrate it.

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See where this pattern decides your games

Chessiro reviews your games with an AI coach that names the concept behind every mistake, then drills you on the exact positions where it happened until you stop repeating them.