Knights

No. of Players

One

Equipment

Knights is played on a 5x5 square grid. A corner of a larger square grid (chessboard) can be used. The board may or may not be checkered, it is irrelevant to the play. Twelve each of black and white counters, here called knights as they have the move of the knight in Orthochess, are required for play.

History

This game is mentioned in Pentagames (p. 79)

Objective

The objective is for the black knights to exchange places with the white knights in the fewest number of moves.

Play

Knights move as they do in Orthochess: Specifically, they may move two cells in any orthogonal line, and then one cell at a right angle to the first half of the move; or one move to any orthogonally adjacent cell, and then two at a right angle to the first half of the move. Knights may jump over other counters of either color during their move, but must always end at a vacant cell.

Strategy

Pentagames (1) mentions that, with practice you should be able to complete the game within fifty moves but it is almost impossible to do it in less than forty-five.

Sources

  1. Pentagames. Compiled by Pentagram. 1990. Fireside, Simon & Schuster Inc. ISBN 0-671-72529-7.