CHESMAYNE

Fernando                                                                            Thunderball

Knight

Also see: ‘Knight Tours’

01 A mounted soldier - a man of noble birth, who after an apprenticeship as page and squire is raised to honorable military rank and bound to chivalrous conduct ie, Thomas a Becket (1118-1170) was trained in knightly exercises at Pevensey Castle and showed his knightly prowess in the Toulouse campaign (1159).   He was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170 by four knights. 

02 Staunton chess-set: the MPs shaped like a horse’s head which have an ‘L’ shaped movement.   Chesmayne: 2 x 1, 2 x 2, 3 x 1, 3 x 2, 4 x 1 and 4 x 2 etc.   The KT moves 2 cells horizontally and one cell vertically or visa versa.   The KT may pass through cells that are occupied by the :A

 or :B MPs/mps.   The KTs move has not changed or been modified since chess was invented/devised. 

03 Knight Errant: a wandering knight who travels in search of adventures, to exhibit military skill etc - quixotic conduct or action. 

        

Failure of Sir Gawain Jigsaw Puzzle – 1,500 pieces.   Image is from Sir Edward Burne-Jones tapestry; Burne-Jones was a leading member of the Pre-Raphaelites.   The central figure, Sir Gawain, was the noblest and most gentle of the knights of King Arthur.   Quality puzzle, manufactured in Spain by Educa. : 33.5” x 23.6”.. 

“Every man has something of Don Quixote in his humour, some darling Dulcinea of his thoughts, that sets him very often upon mad adventures.  What Quixote’s, does not every age produce in politics and religion, who fancying themselves to be in the right of something, which all the world tells ‘em is wrong...?” – Motteaux. 

04 The 2 x 1 move of the traditional KT was invented over 1500 years ago - symbol: KT. 

05 The Chinese knight symbol: KN. 

                    The KT moves in the shape of an ‘L’, 2 x 1 or, 1 x 2. 

                                              

06 Knights are effective when placed in the center of the board but when placed near the edge lose some of their power – “a KT on the rim is very dim”.    KTs have the ability of jumping over MPs/mps, so you can bring them out early during a game.   Because of their leaping ability, KTs work well in blocked positions as they may move to critical cells and stage surprise raids on your opponent.    In the endgame they are at their weakest because of their slow movement which is a hinderance (compare them with the BSs).   The move of the KT is unusual.   The KT (Level-1) is the only MP which has the ability of leaping over other MPs/mps.   The other MPs/mps are dependent on their freedom from obstruction by their own and your opponent’s MPs/mps.   The knights are the only MPs which can be moved before the mps are moved.    The KI, QU1, RO1, RO2, BS1 and BS2 are all hemmed in by the mps on rank-2.   The KTs have the liberty of springing over the heads of the other MPs/mps and enter the field of action instantly.   If a KT is stationed on a light cell of B$A he has access to eight XD cells (dark coloured).   If stationed on an XL (light coloured) cell he has access to eight dark cells.   If you place a KT on the side of the board (B$D), he may move to four cells.   Standing in a corner a KTs action is diminished, having only two cells to which to move.   Since its introduction to European chess the KT has not undergone any variation in power or action.   The attack of a KT is more subtle and dangerous than that of any other MP, because they attack without putting themselves en prise, and their attack cannot be prevented by the interposition of another MP/mp.   Due to the KTs moving ability, they can jump over the other MPs/mps and wend their way into the penetralia of your opponent’s position, and if attacked can jump back (retreat) to safety. 

                                                                     Anna  Morandi

                          

per contattare l'autrice: annamorandi@supereva.it - Ritorna alla Home Page                                                         

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The L-shaped movement of the knights (KT, KM, SB, KN etc) has rendered them the favorite MP of many players.   In the end phase a KT plus three PAs has the advantage over a BS and three PAs because the KT can move from the XL to XD cells quite easily.   A BS is confined to either the XL or XD cells.   The KT is not as useful in defending as a BS or RO because if forced to retreat the KT ceases to defend, while a RO or BS can move back and still offer protection.   The traditional KT is known by different names in differing countries: 

 

Jigsaw Puzzle:  

Jigsaw Puzzle:  Knight Moves - by Schmid.   His puzzles are well known for their extreme attention to detail and versatile designs. This line of jigsaw puzzles range in size from 100 (children’s puzzles) to 2,000 (adult puzzles) pieces.  Unique shaped puzzles also available in our children’s puzzle section.  Finished puzzle measures: 20 x 27 inches.  1000 piece puzzle. 

07 The KT as a symbol has come to represent the virtues of chivalry. 

 

08 Phidias was the sculptor who worked on the Parthenon (see Elgin Marble’s) and is considered the greatest sculptor of Ancient Greece.   He was also an architect, painter, designer and mathematician.  Grecian statues were designed in accordance with a set of mathematical proportions and Phidias’s supreme masterpiece was the Parthenon of Athens.   He received his commission to build this edifice from the Athenian statesman Pericles.  The Temple of the Parthenon honored Athene, the goddess of Athens and wisdom.  As Superintendent of public works he had a team of architects, stonecutters and sculptors under his command.   He personally supervised the construction of the statue ‘Athene Chryselephantine’, (meaning Athene encrusted with ivory and gold’), measuring forty feet high and placed at the center of this building.   Phidias made detailed drawings of horse’s heads from which the traditional knight (KT) of the Staunton chess set was used as a model.   If he were alive today he would surely be surprised to find millions of boys and girls using a symbol of which he was the inventor.   The grandeur and drama of his creations were not to be excelled until Brunelleschi and Michelangelo (who considered the supreme art sculpture), made their appearance in the firmament of the Renaissance universe.   His supreme masterpiece, KI of the Gods, the Olympian Zeus, was heralded as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, measuring 42 feet high and stood in the temple for nearly a thousand years before being removed by Emperor Theodosius-I of Constantinople. 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

09 Tristan und Isolde by Richard Wagner: tells the story of the Cornish knight Tristan, who is taking the Irish princess Isolde to KI Marke as a bride.   Considered one of the greatest operatic musical expressions of sexual love. 

10 Arcite: a Thebian knight and imprisioned with Palamon at Athens.   After gaining their liberty Emily was promised by Duke Theseus to the victor in a tournament.   Arcite won but was thrown from his horse and killed when riding to receive his prize. 

11 Walter Map and other Arthurian writers introduced the romantic spirit of Chivalry and courtly manners into European literature. KI Arthur became the embodiment of the ideal Christian Knight. 

12 Britomart: a female knight.   In Spenser’s Faerie QU, she is the personification of chastity and purity.   She dashes her enemies violence into adoration and blank awe.  

13 Sir Calidore, (Spenser’s Faerie QU): the most courteous of all the knights who was given the name ‘all-beloved’. 

14 Battle of Camlan: the fight which brought the end of the knights of the Round Table. 

15 The Knight of La Mancha: Don Quixote (hero of Cervantes’ romance of the same name). 

16 Amadis of Gaul: a hero of the famous prose romance of the same title.   Amadis is called the ‘Lion-Knight’, from the device on his shield.   Gallant, knight-errant and KI, a model of chivalry. 

17 Latin: ‘salire’, ‘to leap.’ 

18 Baffle: a punishment or degradation of a recreant knight including hanging him or his effigy by the heels from a tree. 

19 Knight of the Bath: this order of knighthood derives its name from the ceremony of bathing a knight as a symbol of purity and was established in the reign of Henry IV. 

20 Last KT of the KIs :&G (Kings Gambit).   This term was applied to Rudolf Spielmann. 

21 St Thomas a Becket: murdered in the cathedral by four knights of KI Henry the 2^nd in 1170.   In 1997 the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome loaned some relics of Beckett to Cantebury Cathedral.   The Becket Chasse, the gold and enamel casket acquired by the Victoria and Albert Museum and the National Heritage Memorial Fund for ST 3.8 million pounds was also on display.  Cardinal Basil Hume (RC Archbishop - VC) lent the Beckett mitre from Westminister Cathedral. 

22 See Knights Tour. 

Chesmayne has a selection of knights that can be used during a game…

01 2 x 1 The traditional KT of occidental chess KT. 

02 2 x 1 The oriental knight of Chinese chess KN. 

03 2 x 2 Knight Magnifico KM. 

04 3 x 1 Standard-Bearer SB. 

05 4 x 1 Bannerette BA. 

06 3 x 2 Pallatine PA. 

07 4 x 2 Praetorian Guard PG. 

Other knights that may be used are listed below:

08 Knight Bachelor KB

09 Knight of Columbus KC

10 Knight of Saint John KJ

11 Knight of Malta MA

12 Knight Templar TE

13 Knight Cossack CK

14 Knight of the Garter KG

KT1 and KT2 on an 8 x 8 board

KT1 or KT2 can move to 2, 3, 4, 6 or 8 cells depending on the cell position.

KT1 or KT2 placed in B$A can move to 8 cells.

KT1 or KT2 placed in Block-B can move to 8 cells.

In B$C a KT can move to 4 or 6 depending on the cell position.

In B$D a KT can move to 2, 3 or 4 depending on the cell position.

KT1 or KT2 from the ISP (Level-1) can move to 2 cells.

A KT placed in $A01 can move to 2 cells $B03 or $C02.

A KT placed in $B01 can move to 3 cells $A03, $C03 or $D02.

A KT placed in $C01 can move to 4 cells $A02, $B03, $D03 or $E02.

A KT placed in $C02 can move to 6 cells $A01, $A03, $B04, $D04, $E03 or$E01.

          Since the KT can jump over the other MPs/mps, he is good on a crowded board.   A KT fork is a deadly coup.   A well-posted KT is as good as a well-posted BS, but it takes longer for a KT to get to a good post.   The KT is a MP in the Chesmayne set - KT1 and KT2 are equal in strength.   Both the KT and BS are less powerful, and therefore less valuable, than RO1, RO2 and QU1.   It may help to think of the KT as a horse leaping over fences.   The KTs capture in exactly the same way that they move, replacing the chess MP/mp that occupies the cell they land in. 

                                                           Anna  Morandi

                                           

                               Title: Il Cavallino di volterra - Ritorna alla Home Page

          Bernard of Clairvaux 1090-1153 drew up the statutes of the Knights Templar in 1128.   Mounted knights became a professional brotherhood during the middle ages and from this arose the word ‘chivalry’ (from the French cheval, or horse).   The era in which knights wore various colours and carried banners is long gone but their tradition is still carried on by the horse racing fraternity in which the riders wear various colours ie, The Oaks, The Prix de l’arc de Triumph, various Derby’s, the Grand National or the Australian Cup being modern day examples. 

Regarding the Knights Templar from Goddess www.goddesschess.com 

Knights Templar were frequently depicted as convening over a black and white checkered floor, the pattern of which was consistent with ancient Mason-architecture, Pythagoras, and the floor of the Hall of Judgment over which Maat/Thoth presided.   ‘Id est’, a giant chessboard.   Papal advisors suspected that the true mission of the Templars was to merge Hermitic and Christian teachings.   In 1307 Pope Clement ordered the arrest of every Templar in every country.   In 1314 the final 'Grand Master' of the Templars ‘Jacques de Molay’ was burned at the stake.  The church fathers saw the Hermetic representing feminine consciousness that could undermine their authority.  Anything feminine was suspect!   Women and Men who dealt with healing, herbs, and being close to Earth were suspect and vulnerable to burning.   The Knight is also the only chess piece which has two parts Rider & Horse (Alcor & Mizar - see Orion).   And look at where the Knight starts on the chess board between the Rook & Bishop.   Both the Rook and Bishop have the power to move the entire eight squares one straight and the other diagonally.   The Knight however moves both straight and diagonally.   Because it is the Warrior that has integrated both male and female aspects into One.   The Knight can also move over or thru another piece. 

          It does not take a beginner long to become familiar with the KTs move and to see at a glance their threats to attack two MPs/mps at once.   Nevertheless, you will often be taken completely by surprise through combinations involving KT forks in situations in which the two MPs/mps in question do not stand in a forkable position but are forced into it by a move, usually a sacrifice which you have failed to consider.   This is why the KT can attack eight MPs/mps simultaneously (in theory!).   In reality, even triple attacks by a KT are rarely seen in play.   See ‘Furcate’. 

                                                       

          When KTs move, they attack a completely new set of cells.   Compare a KT with the RO.  A KT attacks eight entirely new cells when moved. The great disadvantage of the traditional KTs is that they are a short-range MP.   This means, that you must post them in the center and as near the enemy position as is safe.   Then they will be at their best in making forks and other attacks.   Finally, the one MP a KT cannot normally fork is an opposing KT, since this could result in an exchange.   However, in Chesmayne there are different types of knight and these may fork other knights without being subject to a fork themselves! 

          It is worth studying carefully the different arrangements of enemy MPs/mps that make a fork possible.   This will help you not to miss chances of a fork in play.   First, remember that all cells attacked by a traditional KT at a given moment are of one colour, the opposite colour to the cell on which the traditional KT stands.   This means that only MPs/mps which stand in cells of the same colour as each other can be forked by a traditional KT.   It is important to know the forking combinations very well.   An experienced player will think of a fork instantly on seeing the possibility. 

          NOTE: some of the other knights of Chesmayne can attack both coloured cells at the same time! 

Fork :fk

 

In Chesmayne there are different types of knight ie, KT, KN, KM, SB, BA, PG etc.   A MP or mp can fork but, this term is usually used in reference to a knight.   A fork by a knight on the KI and QU is called a ‘Family Check’ (+FC).    Knight: to attack two or more MPs and/or mps at the same time.  A fork is a double attack by one MP/mp in which two of your opponent’s MPs/mps are attacked at the same time.   Any MP/mp can fork, though it is the knight that most commonly performs this tactic, owing to the special way in which they perform their duties.  A knight can fork QU1 and RO1, KI and QU1, RO2 and BS1 etc, with the result that one of these MPs is subsequently eliminated.   The KT may be sacrificed but gain value for the side moving by capturing either RO2 or even QU1.   Sometimes a knight can fork QU1, RO and KI and this type of fork is known as a family fork - :fa-fk - and can cause some discomfiture to your opponent during a game.   Sometimes a knight will fork a BS and a PA.   Your opponent being unable to counter both threats thus loses the PA.   Your opponent will either move or defend the BS and you will capture the PA and sometimes a +CH can also be achieved as well.   Other examples are A-RO forking B-BS1 and B-BS2 at the same time, A-QU1 forking B-BS2 and B-RO1 simultaneously, or A-BS2 forking B-KI and B-RO2 and then capturing B-RO2 on the succeeding move.   A PA can also fork two MPs at the same time.   An attack on two MPs/mps by one MP/mp, normally a KT on Level-1.   A move that attacks more than one enemy MP/mp.  Yet another way a MP may fatally lose h/her mobility is through a fork, a simultaneous attack on two MPs/mps.   Failure to foresee this possibility in actual play could spell disaster.   In the English language the expression ‘speaking with a forked tongue’ is sometimes used.  

From Goddess web page: The words ‘matter energy light’ = 90 when converted to number.   Remember the Knight moves at that 90 degree angle?   Just read where the horse (Doralee) of the god Wodan had 8 legs and in other cultures around the world an 8 legged horse carries the shamans into the other world.   Of course on the chessboard we have 8 x 8 = 64 squares.  The Beatles song ‘8 Days a Week’.  ‘Beatles’ = 64 (26 numerology). 

KNIGHTS TEMPLAR http://www.euroknightstemplar.org/history.htm

BLACK MADONNA http://www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/blackmdn.html

Mark Borcherding - 02:55pm May 13, 1999 MST (#816 of 816)
dare to dream upon your own star.   I was pondering the Knight & Knightess and we see 4 Knights in the Bible’s Revelations chapter 6 each riding a different color horse - here is a table of the info: 

It is interesting that Man riding the Black horse ‘black knight’ represented
by ‘black madonna’ is carrying the balances!   The 4^th seal is also represented in our 7 chakras (1) Root (2) Spleen (3) Solar plexus (4) Heart (5) Throat (6) Third eye (7) Crown - so, Man being the 4^th seal is the Heart chakra.  The heart chakra is traditionally colored Green like an emerald.   This is the color of Thoth/Hermes ‘The Emerald Tablet’.  Recall Hermes said he was three times born?    4 x 4 x 4 = 64 chess squares.  

64 = 6+4 = 10 = 1+0 = 1 + 64 = 65 = rev 6:5 ‘the black horse with balances of heart’. 

 

                       Below: How to place the KTs on the 8 x 8 chessboard. 

 

Below: How to move your KT – 2 x 1 or 1 x 2

 

Below: The KT may capture any of the PAs below

 

 

Below: The KT may jump and capture any of the white PAs below

 

Below: By moving to D05 the KT attacks the QU and +CHs the KI.  

This is called a KT fork.  The QU is captured on the next move.  

 

 

A KT on the ‘rim’ is very ‘dim’.    Here the KT can capture only four PAs. 

 

 

In the corner the KT can only capture two PAs

 

Philidor’s Legacy:

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From: Chess Kids Home Page

 

 

Below: A-KT2 on F03 can capture B-QU1 on H04

 

 

Below: A-QU1 has just moved to cell F03.  

B-KT2 on cell C06 can now capture A-KT1 on cell D04 for nothing. 

When B-KT2 moves from cell C06 and captures A-KT1 on cell D04 he will also fork A-QU1 and A-PA3. 

 

 

 

 

 

Left: the KT on cell E04 can jump over the other pieces and land on any one of the cells marked with a red dot. 

Right: the KT can capture all of the PAs in this diagram. 

 

          

 

 

Below: the KT can capture any of the eight PAs.