Nightrider (chess) Nightrider (chess) A nightrider (also known as a knightmare or unicorn, though the latter sometimes also means the bishop+nightrider compound) is a fairy chess piece that can move any number of steps as a knight in the same direction. The nightrider is often represented by a symbol similar to the knight's icon, but altered in a way to indicate the additional straight-line motion. In this article the nightrider is represented with an inverted knight, and notation N (in which case the "knight" is abbreviated as S for German "Springer"). The nightrider was invented by T. R. Dawson in 1925, and
Chess piece makes the pieces bottom heavy and do not topple easily (a well-weighted piece should come upright even if bent to 60 degrees off vertical axis). This helps in blitz games as the speed of movement doesn't offer enough time or precision in dropping the pieces onto the intended squares. The length of each side of the squares on the chessboard should be about 1.25–1.3 times the diameter of the base of the king, or . Squares of about are normally well suited for pieces with the kings in the preferred size range. These criteria are from the United States Chess