pieces, and this it often does, under the guidance of a good player, in a remarkable manner, threading its way safely through its own and the enemy's ranks, until it can form an attack on some distinguished piece, or mar an ingenious plot of the adversary. This piece is not only difficult to play well, but difficult also to resist, so that it is a deserved favorite among skilful players. The move of the Knight consists of the shortest Rook's move, and the shortest Bishop's move, both at once. For example, place your K. Kt. at home; he can move to K. R. 3d square, i. e., from K. Kt. square to K. Kt. 2d, the shortest Rook's move, and from K. Kt. 2d to K. R. 3d, the shortest Bishop's move, or from K. Kt. square to K. R. 2d, the shortest Bishop's move, and from thence to K. R. 3d, the shortest Rook's move. Wherever we can combine the shortest move of the Rook with the shortest move of the Bishop, the Knight can be played, provided the square to which you wish to play him be not occupied by one of your own pieces or Pawns. But if such square be occupied by a piece or Pawn of your adversary, the Knight can capture it.

When your K. Kt. is at home, he can be played to your K. 2d square, or to K. B. 3d square, or to K. R. 3d square; but when the Knight gets to the middle of the board, his power is wonderfully increased. Place him on your K. 4th square, for example, and you will find that he can be played to any one of eight squares. See if you can find out these squares, and write down their names correctly.

Mr. Geo. Walker, in his excellent elementary work, "Chess Made Easy," states, with regard to the move of the Knight, that it is so difficult of explanation that he almost despairs of making a learner understand it until he has met with it practically illustrated. He gives the annexed diagram, and the following mode of description :

The Knight may be said to begin his move by going one quare straight forward, and then finishing his move by pro

ceeding one square diagonally; or, it may equally be said, that he begins his move by moving one square diagonally, and ends his move by marching one square forward or sidewise. The move of the Queen, Rook, and Bishop, are intermin

able in their range, except by the extremities of the board; but the moves of the King and Knight are, on the contrary, terminable, and not to be extended at discretion, like those of the other pieces.

Now set out your two white Knights as in the foregoing diagram, and try to reconcile my description of the move of the Knight, with the squares indicated as being commanded by them. The Knight in the corner commands two squares, marked 1 and 2; and, had he the move, could play to either of these, but to no others on the whole board. In doing this, he crosses one intermediate square, and seats himself at an interval of three squares, inclusive, from his starting point, on

a square of a different colour from that on which he first stood. No matter what pieces might occupy the squares between him and the place to which he was about to move; he would leap over them with impunity.

The other Knight, being placed nearer to the centre of the board, commands no less than eight squares, indicated by the numbers 1 to 8; to either of which he might leap at one bound, but his choice does not extend beyond those eight. The squares commanded by the Knight always appear to be in pairs. Suppose the white K. Kt. to be at home, as placed on commencing the game; how many squares does he command?

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The Pawns have the shortest move forward of the Rook when they do not capture, and the shortest move forward of the Bishop when they do. Thus the humble Pawn moves forward, in a right line, but cannot move either backward, obliquely, or sidewise (except in capturing, when it moves obliquely as mentioned above). The Pawn can only move one square at a time; each Pawn has, however, the privilege, to be exercised at the option of the player, of being advanced, on the first move he makes, either one or two squares. In exercising this privilege, the Pawn is liable to be taken en passant" by an adverse Pawn, as will be hereafter explained, under the article on the meaning of the phrase en passant.' Your Rook's Pawns command only one square each, viz., K. or Q. Kt. 3d; the other six Pawns command each two squares. Remember that all the pieces can be played backward as well as forward, to the right or to the left; but the Pawn has a forward move only; it can never retreat from danger like the other pieces, but continues to advance until it reaches your adversary's royal line, when it is entitled to a reward which none of the pieces can claim; it s immediately promoted to the rank of a Queen, or a Rook, or a Bishop, or a Knight, as you may desire, but can in no case remain on the royal line as a Pawn.

LESSON III.

ON THE MANNER IN WHICH THE CHESS-MEN TAKE EACH OTHER.

MR. WALKER, in his elementary treatise already quoted, has explained in so very lucid a manner the mode in which captures are made at Chess, that we are tempted to give his remarks in full, with his explanatory diagrams.

The different pieces (the Pawn is not here included) take, in exactly the same direction as they move. In taking, you lift off the adverse piece from the board, and place your own piece in the square hitherto occupied by the adversary; and not, as in the game of Draughts, on the square beyond.

You are never compelled to take, as in the game of Draughts, but may do so, or not, according as it may be to your advantage, without incurring any penalty for refusing the offer.

To illustrate the manner in which the men take each other, examine the preceding diagram.

Here is the white Queen opposed to a black Rook. If it be White's turn to play, the Queen may take the Rook; to do which, you remove the Rook from off the board, and seat the Queen on the square now occupied by the Rook. Were the Rook on either of the adjoining squares (marked 1 and 2), the Queen could not capture it, because it would not be in her line of march.

If the Black in this situation, had the first move, the Rook might take either the Queen, the Bishop, or the Knight; lifting the piece taken, off the board, and occupying the square thus vacated.

You can never take two men at once, as in the game of Draughts. All the pieces are reciprocally liable to be taken, as well by the lowly Pawn, as by the haughty Queen: the King is the only exception to this rule, as we shall find under the head of "Check."

Let us set up another position :

In this case we have a black Bishop, and two white Knights. If Black have the

move, the Bishop may take the Knight in the corner, as before explained, but could not take the nearer Knight, because, to do so would be a departure from the line of march proper to the Bishop. If, on the other hand, the White have the first move, the Knight in the corner cannot

harm the Bishop, because the latter does not stand within its limited and peculiar range; but the other Knight can take the Bishop, by stepping into his place, and handing him off the board.