A knight endgame is a phase of the game in which both sides have only knights (and pawns) remaining as active pieces, with no rooks, bishops, or queens on the board.
Knights are short-range pieces: they move in an "L" shape and never control more than eight squares at a time. In knight endgames, this limited mobility makes pawns and king placement critically important. Unlike bishops, knights are colour-independent, which makes them surprisingly effective at blockading or chasing isolated passed pawns.
In practice, two elements are key in knight endgames: the fork (a knight attacking two enemy pieces at once) and the outpost (a square protected by a pawn where the knight can settle without being driven away). A well-centralised knight on an outpost can tie down the opponent’s entire position.