Knight Challenge: a two-knight chess puzzle
Two knights, an empty board and a running clock. March each knight up to the 8th rank and back to the square it started on, without replaying a route you have already used.
How it works
- Tap or drag a knight to jump it. Only legal knight moves are allowed.
- Take both knights to rank 8, then bring each one home to the square it started on.
- Some jumps are blocked on the way home, such as landing where a knight could not jump home from. A pop-up tells you why.
- Finish in as few moves and as little time as you can. Par is 16 moves.
What it trains
The knight is the piece beginners find hardest to visualise, because it does not move in a line. Planning a long route for two knights at once builds the habit of looking ahead and spotting squares that become dead ends.
Questions
How many moves is a perfect run?
Par is 16 moves. A knight gains at most two ranks per jump, so each knight needs at least four jumps to reach the 8th rank and four to return. Two knights make 16.
Is it timed?
Yes. Your best time is saved in your browser, and you can replay any finished run move by move.