Chess Knights

The NO-FUTURE KNIGHT and SECOND-ROW KNIGHT

Many chess players have difficulties to decide which piece to move. It helps to be able to classify each piece to understand its temporary value on the board.

A chess piece can become partially inactive depending on where it is placed and might have to be moved elsewhere. It can sit on inferior squares or is locked in by pawns or is squashed into a corner of the board or sits at the wrong side of the board and not where the action is.

Use Chess Terms

To help to recognize this I have invented various chess terms to help my brain to understand
piece potential. Important Chess Terms are: NO-FUTURE KNIGHT, SECOND-ROW KNIGHT, REDUCED BISHOP, MISPLACED ROOK, INACTIVE QUEEN, just to name a few.

These are just examples to help your brain to find a good move. You can create your own terms if you like. Use your imagination. Once your brain has digested a term it quickly recognizes when this term is valid on the board. For example you are scanning your position and immediately a term might pop up in your mind:
Hey, this is a no-future knight! And then you know what to do. (hopefully)

At least you know that you have a problem, or your opponent has one…

Examples:

NO-FUTURE KNIGHT

A Knight is placed well, “BUT IT CAN’T DO ANYTHING”. Or it is placed outright dead as it sits at the edge of the board.

A NO-FUTURE-KNIGHT is a Knight that may sit on a good square but has no future potential because it can’t go anywhere. This Knight may sit on a natural square like c3, but can’t go to a good outpost square. It has NO FUTURE, so move it somewhere else where it can “DO SOMETHING”.

SECOND-ROW KNIGHT
A SECOND-ROW KNIGHT is bad news. Never let a knight sit on the second row for a long time. Get it out into the center somehow or move it to a strong outpost square. But to do this you need to know that such a knight is bad and you have to recognize it as such.

For that reason it helps if you know the term SECOND-ROW KNIGHT. If you scan your position or the position of your opponent and see a knight sitting on the second row (or seventh row, if you have Black) then the term SECOND-ROW KNIGHT will jump into your mind immediately and you become aware that your knight has to be moved elsewhere or that the knight of your opponent is temporarily inactive.

I hope this helps to increase your awareness about knights and supports your thinking process.
Chess is all about being aware…