The Knight in Endgames: strong squares, blockading, and maneuvering

The knight is a peculiar piece in endgames. Unlike the bishop, it doesn’t have long range. It doesn’t cover entire diagonals. It can’t move from one flank to the other in one move. But it has something no other piece has: it can jump.

That ability makes it the ideal piece for closed positions, for blockading passed pawns, and for settling on squares where nothing can bother it.

The strong square: the knight’s fortress

A strong square is a square that no rival pawn can attack. If the knight settles on such a square, it stays there forever (or until it decides to move). The pawns can’t kick it out.

What does it take for a square to be “strong”?

1. The rival pawns that would control it have already advanced past it or been traded.
2. The square is in a central or advanced zone of the board (d5, e5, c5 are the classics).
3. Your own king can support the knight if needed.

A knight on a strong square on the fifth rank can be worth as much as a rook. I’m not exaggerating: it controls eight squares at once, can’t be kicked out, and paralyzes the rival’s position.

The knight as a blockader

When the rival has a passed pawn, someone has to blockade it (position themselves in front of it so it can’t advance). The knight is, by far, the best blockader in chess.

Why? Because when a knight positions itself in front of a passed pawn:

• It doesn’t lose functionality. It keeps controlling squares and threatening pieces. A bishop that blockades gets “tied” to that function.
• It can jump. If a threat arises elsewhere on the board, the knight can go and come back without permanently losing the blockade.
• It benefits from centralization. The passed pawn is usually in the center, and the knight performs best from the center.

Closed positions: the knight’s territory

When the pawns are blocked and the rival bishop’s diagonals are obstructed, the knight is clearly superior. In closed positions:

• The bishop’s diagonals are cut off by the pawns.
• The knight jumps over everything.
• Knight maneuvers (going back and forth in a few moves) let you gain tempos the bishop can’t.

If you see the position closing up, the side with the knight has reasons to be happy.

The knight’s weak points

Not everything is an advantage. The knight has real limitations in endgames:

Slowness

The knight needs several moves to cross the board. If there are passed pawns on both flanks, the bishop can watch both sides at once; the knight can’t.

Pawns on both flanks

When there’s play on both flanks, the knight tends to suffer. It can’t be in two places at once and loses tempos traveling from one side to the other. This is the main reason the bishop tends to be preferable in open positions with separated pawns.

The edge of the board

A knight on the edge of the board (a1, h1, a8, h8) controls very few squares. In endgames, where every move counts, a decentralized knight can be a burden.

Practical rules

1. Look for a strong square before anything else. A well-placed knight is worth more than a pawn.
2. Use the knight to blockade the rival’s passed pawns. It’s its ideal job.
3. Avoid the edge of the board. The knight needs to be on central squares.
4. Close the position if you can. If you have the knight and the rival has the bishop, fixing the pawns benefits you.
5. Centralize the king. The knight works well with the king nearby: together they control many squares.

Keep learning

• Bishop vs knight — the direct comparison
• Good bishop and bad bishop — why the bishop sometimes loses
• Minor piece endgames — all the articles in this section
• Pawn endgames — the foundation of all endgames