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Learn · Chapter 0. The Basics

The Knight

The knight is the trickiest piece — its moves took me longest to learn! It moves in an L-shape: two squares one way, then one square to the side. And here's the real miracle: only the knight can JUMP over pieces — friendly and enemy alike, nothing blocks it! That's why beginners keep missing its leaps: they watch the straight lines while the knight sneaks in from the side. Here's a tip: a knight always jumps from a light square to a dark one and back.

Let's practise the L-shape. The knight stands on b1 — count two squares up and one to the right, and you get c3. Don't try to lead the knight in a straight line or along a diagonal — it can't do that, only its sneaky zigzag. Jump to c3!

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Your move — make it on the board

A perfect L! It took me five tries — and you got it first time!

A knight captures wherever it lands: if it comes down on an enemy piece, that piece is taken. Look, the black pawn on c3 stands exactly on your knight's landing spot. The poor thing doesn't even suspect: the knight comes in not along a line but in a zigzag! Take it.

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Your move — make it on the board

A jump with a punch! Nobody expects the knight — that's its power!

This is a preview — the full interactive lesson is in the app.

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