Because of its unique movement, the knight is one of the most powerful pieces on the chessboard. Understanding the fundamentals of the knight can help you create powerful openings in the early game and set you up for checkmate in the endgame.

What Exactly Is a Knight?
A knight is a chess piece that is shaped like a horse. Each player starts the game with two knights. When arranging your chess set, place the knights between the bishop and the rook on the row closest to each player.

A chess knight is worth three points, which is the same as a bishop in terms of relative value.

What Moves Do Knights Make?
In comparison to other chess pieces, the knight moves in an unusual manner. Unlike other pieces, knights move in a “L-shape,” which means they can move two squares in any direction vertically followed by one square horizontally, or two squares in any direction horizontally followed by one square vertically. In the game of chess, the knight is the only piece that can “jump over” other pieces, whether they are black or white.

By replacing enemy pieces on their square, knights capture them. A knight starting on a white square will always end up on a black square due to its L-shaped movement, and vice versa.

5 Ways to Use Your Knights
Though every chess game is unique, there are a few fundamental knight principles that can help you improve your strategy and become a better chess player.

1. Take up residence in the center of the board. Unlike bishops and rooks, which can move all the way to the opposite side of the board in a single turn, knights have a limited set of moves and can only move three spaces at a time. As a result, knights are most effective when they are in the center of the board, because being in the center maximizes the number of possible moves that a knight can make. A knight placed on the board’s edge can only attack three or four squares, whereas a knight placed in the center can attack eight. A knight in the corner has only two options.

2. Search for outposts. The center of the board is where knights are most effective, but it is also where they are most vulnerable to attack from your opponent’s pieces. It’s a good idea to look for areas of the board near the center that your opponent’s pawns can’t easily attack. Holes in your opponent’s pawn structure are frequently excellent knight outposts. Occupying a strong outpost can also stifle your opponent’s development and serve as a key component in a future attack on the king.

3. Train your knights early on. When playing chess, many players like to develop their knights early in the game. A white knight move could be the game’s first move. Early development of your knight can help you gain control of the center of the board.

4. Watch out for traps. Because knights have a limited number of movements, they are especially vulnerable to traps. If a knight is on a light square, it must immediately move to a dark square. In that case, a knight would be especially vulnerable to a dark-squared bishop limiting the number of squares a knight could potentially occupy, potentially leading to the knight’s capture after a few turns.

5. Use forks to your advantage. Because of their unique movement, knights are especially well-suited to executing a fork, which occurs when your piece attacks two of your opponent’s pieces at the same time. For example, if you control a black knight, you can attack both the white king and the queen at the same time, even if those pieces are far apart.

Learn more about chess strategy in Garry Kasparov’s MasterClass.