Level 2 of 6
Knight level: learning to see patterns
Forks, pins and smothered mates, and the habit of looking before you move.
Ready for this when
Spots a one-move threat and can castle without being reminded.
Working towards
See a fork or a pin before it happens, and win a won endgame.
You know how every piece moves. This level is about seeing: spotting a pattern on the board before it happens to you, and making one happen to your opponent.
Tactics are pictures, not sums. A fork is a shape. A pin is a shape. See a shape often enough and you stop working it out. You just recognise it.
Puzzles are the fastest way to collect shapes. Do five or ten a day, slowly, with somebody to explain the ones you miss.
Look at what the last move did
Every time your opponent moves, ask what that move attacks. This habit still decides most of your games.
Now add a second question. If they moved again right now, what would they play? That is how you see a threat before it lands.
- What did their move attack?
- If they moved again, what would they play?
- If I put my piece there, what can take it?
The fork
One piece attacks two things at once. They cannot both escape. You take one.
Knights fork well because their move is strange. People forget where a knight can jump. Queens and pawns fork too.
The best fork hits the king and something big. The check must be answered first, so the other piece falls.
The pin
A pinned piece may not move off the line to its king. Often it cannot move at all.
A stuck piece cannot defend well. Anything it was guarding may now be loose.
Do not take the pinned piece straight away. Attack it again. It cannot step aside.
- Bishops, rooks and queens make pins.
- Attack the pinned piece again before you take it.
Castle early
Get your king out of the middle. Files open there, and an open file aimed at your king ends games fast.
Bring your pieces off the back row. Castle. Then make a plan. In that order.
After castling, leave the pawns in front of your king alone. Each push leaves a hole.
Do not learn openings yet
Memorising opening moves feels like progress. It is not, yet. Your games are lost by a piece left undefended in the middle, not by the first ten moves.
Three rules are enough. Take some of the centre. Bring your pieces out. Castle.
The first endgames
An endgame is what is left when most pieces are gone. Endgames can be learned exactly, so study time here is never wasted.
Learn two now. Rook and king against a lone king, until you can do it without thinking. Then king and pawn against king, where the two kings fight for squares.
- Puzzles
- Playing
- One endgame
Where this level sits
Second of six. The last level taught how the pieces move. The next ones teach plans, pawn structure and technique. This one teaches you to see.
Positions to play through
1A knight forks the king and the queen
The white knight looks harmless. Find the square where it attacks the king and the queen together.
The check does the work. Black wants to save the queen, but the king must move first. Look for a square that touches the king and something big.
2A pinned knight cannot be rescued
The bishop aims through the black knight at the king behind it. Count what attacks the knight.
The knight could not move, and the king could not take back. The bishop made the pin. The rook, a second attacker, won the piece.
3Smothered mate
The black king is boxed in by its own rook and pawns. White gives away the queen on purpose.
The queen is given up to fill a square. After that, every square around the king holds one of its own pieces. The knight needs no help.
4The queen that threw away a win
White has a queen and is winning easily. Then the queen steps too close. Count the black king's squares afterwards.
When you are far ahead, the danger is your own hurry. Before a quiet move, count the squares their king still has. None, and no check, is a draw.
The order to learn them in
If you only follow one path through this level, follow this one.
- 1Development TempoCount each side's developed pieces. The count tells you what to do.
- 2Discovered AttackMove one piece, and the piece behind it attacks.
- 3Removing the DefenderTake the guard first, then the piece it guarded.
- 4Smothered MateA knight mates a king hemmed in by its own pieces.
- 5Trapped PieceA piece with no safe square is lost.
- 6OppositionKings one square apart: whoever has to move must give way.
- 7Key SquaresSquares near a pawn that win once your king stands on one.
- 8Passed PawnsNo enemy pawn can stop it, so a piece has to.
- 9Weak SquaresA square no pawn of yours can ever guard again.
Every topic at this level
Tactics
- Discovered AttackLook for your rook or bishop hiding behind your own piece. Move the front piece with a threat. Now there are two threats.
- Removing the DefenderBefore giving up on a defended piece, look at its defender. Take it, or chase it away.
- Trapped PieceCount the squares an enemy piece can move to. If it has one or two, take them with pawns.
- Perpetual CheckWhen you are losing, look for checks that never stop. If the king cannot escape them, it is a draw.
- Stalemate TricksWhen you are winning, leave the enemy king a square. When you are losing, look for a stalemate.
- Smothered MateA king in the corner can be trapped by its own pieces. Then a knight check is mate.
- Opera MateA rook next to the king can be mate. A bishop far away keeps it safe.
Position and strategy
- Semi-Open FilesOnly your opponent has a pawn on this file. Put your rook on it. Your rook attacks that pawn all game.
- Open vs. Closed GamesLook at the pawns first. If lines are open, look for tactics. If pawns are locked, slow down and improve your pieces.
- Weak SquaresPawns cannot move backwards. Before pushing one, see which squares it stops guarding.
- OutpostsA knight loves a square that pawns cannot attack. Your own pawn should protect it. Find that square before you move the knight.
- Passed PawnsNo enemy pawn in front or beside it: it is passed. Push it towards the end of the board. Bring your king to help in the endgame.
- Isolated PawnsNo friendly pawn stands beside it, so no pawn defends it. Put a knight right in front of it.
- Pawn ChainsPawns on a diagonal line protect each other. The pawn at the back has no pawn protecting it. Attack that one.
Endgames
- OppositionKings facing each other with one square between them are in opposition. Whoever must move has to step aside. Make sure it is the other player.
- Key SquaresSome squares in front of your pawn win the game. Get your king there first. Push the pawn afterwards.
- Bishops of the Same ColourYour bishop walks on one colour only. Put your pawns on the other colour. Then the enemy bishop cannot attack them.
- Bishops of Opposite ColoursThese bishops can never meet. One bishop can stop several pawns. Stand it on its own colour in front of them.
Openings and planning
- Choosing Open or Closed OpeningsSome openings give fast, sharp games. Others give slow, careful games. Pick the kind you enjoy.
- Classical OpeningsPut pawns in the middle. Bring out knights and bishops. Then castle.
- Development TempoCount how many pieces each side has out. Ahead means open the game. Behind means catch up first.
- Memorizing Key LinesLearn why each opening move is played. A move you understand is easier to remember.
What practice looks like
- Fifteen minutes most days: five of puzzles, ten of playing.
- One-move puzzles at first. The point is recognising the shape.
- Once a week, a slow game where they name the threat before every move.
Ready for the next level when
- Castles early without being told.
- Finds a fork in a puzzle without hints.
- Rarely leaves pieces where they can be taken.
- Can mate with a rook and king.
For the grown-up
- Ask, do not tell. 'What does that attack?' teaches more than 'that is a mistake'.
- Puzzle apps help in short doses. Games still belong on a board, with a person.
- Do not start opening theory yet. It brings almost no improvement at this stage.
Questions people ask
- How many puzzles should I do in a day?
- Five to ten, with the misses explained. Understanding the misses matters more than the number. Rushing fifty puzzles trains you to guess.
- Should I start learning openings?
- No. Take some of the centre, bring your pieces out and castle. Games at this level are decided by pieces left undefended, not by the first ten moves.
- Why do I keep losing pieces even though I know the rules?
- Knowing the rules and watching the board are different skills. After every move your opponent makes, say out loud what it attacks. It feels slow at first, then it becomes a habit.
- Is it better to play online or on a real board?
- Both help. Online gives you many games and puzzles. A real board with a person opposite makes you slow down, which is the habit you are building. If you choose one, choose the board.
- How do I know when I have finished this level?
- You castle without being reminded. You find forks in puzzles without hints. You rarely leave pieces where they can be taken. You can mate with a rook and king.