Tips for visualising Knight moves
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DGerardP
Jan 27, 2022
0
#1
Hi. I'm new ish to chess. Been playing for about 9 months. Now around 950 on Rapid. I work hard, study quite a lot and am slowly improving. I play rapid 20 and get into time trouble when my opponent is being aggressive with one or two Knights (if they still have two left). Especially when the game is towards the end and there more undefended squares for enemy knights. I'm so slow visualising where they could move in one or two or three or however many moves time. Are there any tips and tricks for getting quicker at figuring out enemy Knight moves and wh
Jan 27, 2022
0
#2
Sorry, didn't finish post! ..... So that I can get quicker and more accurate and spotting and dealing with dangerous Knight moves. I hope that any tips, tricks, ways of remembering will help with my knights too. Thanks so much chess.com dudes.
Jan 27, 2022
0
#3
Knights always move to the nearest non-adjacent square of the opposite color.
In other words, a Knight on a light square always moves to a dark square, and vice versa.
You could try something like the knight obstacle courses described here:
https://www.danheisman.com/chess-exercises.html
The knight, on his horse, jumps two squares forward in any direction. Then, with his sword, he can attack someone on either side of him.
Jan 27, 2022
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#6
I kind of visualise it as an 8 pointed star around the knight. When I look at a knight now, those squares seem to jump out like they're highlighted.
Jan 28, 2022
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#7
Great suggestions all. Thank you. In particular, Landloch, thanks for the links to the Knight obstacle courses. Excellent. That's going to really help me.
Jan 28, 2022
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#8
Idea: know about the types of knight forks.
There's actually only six types.
Whatever knight fork you ever see - (or don't see) - its one of those six.
When people are first shown knight moves - it looks like a clock face - with eight - not six - but that doesn't help much ...
because the Knight is much more Lethal when its Forking than just moving !
I coined terms for these forks decades ago - my own names for them.
In order of distance apart of the targets:
1) The mini fork - two diagonally adjacent squares with target pieces on them- the most common and the easiest to spot.
Like N on c3 forking d5 and e4 for example.
2) The straight fork - two targets on a rank or file with a square between them. Example: a white knight at b6 forks two black rooks at a8 and c8.
3) The angle fork. Much much harder to spot. Like a black knight at f6 forks d5 and g4. The lines to the targets form a 90 degree angle.
4) The longer diagonal fork. The targets on the same diagonal like N on e4 forks c3 and f6. Two diagonal squares between them.
5) The Long Table fork. Hits two far apart squares on the same rank or file. Example: N on d6 forks a Queen at b7 and a King at f7. (which is also a Royal Fork in that case)
6) The Maxi. Targets the furthest possible apart. That N on d6 forks Q at b5 instead of b7 - and K on f7. Always only one square to do that one from. (unlike the others) Only the angle fork is harder to spot. (#3 and #6 do Not line up).
From this point on - every knight fork that you could ever see - you know its got to be one of those six.
But - there's also the 'triple knight fork'. Comes up now and then.
'Quadruple' knight fork ? I can't recall an instance of it in my games.
I'm sure it occurs.
In a players entire chess lifetime - well could it have the frequency of an eclipse?
Has there ever been an 8-way knight fork in GM tournament play?
Jim Furyk once shot a 58 in PGA golf ! In 2016.
