Meanings
nounknightmare (plural knightmares)
plural knightmares
- humorousinformalboard gamesA figurative nightmare involving a knight, e.g. a crushing knight move or a hopeless situation involving a knight.
17...cxd5? 18 ♘b5 is obviously a “knightmare” for Black.
2020 November 17, Thomas Engqvist, 300 Most Important Chess Positions, Batsford, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 1381 more example
16...Nbxd5? The wrong knight captures, which leads to a knightmare for Black.
2020 March 11, Isaak Linder, Vladimir Linder, Mikhail Botvinnik: Sixth World Chess Champion, SCB Distributors, →ISBN, →OCLC
Origin
Rhymes & wordplay
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Cite this entry
APA
knightmare. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knightmare
MLA
“knightmare.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knightmare. Accessed November 3, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “knightmare,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/knightmare.
Source: knightmare on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.