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Swap the white and the black figures.
wap the black and white knights in the fewest moves
Swap the white and the black figures.
Swap the white and the black figures.
You Win!
Known as the 2nd challenge in the Guarini's Chess Problems series. Attributed to the medieval Italian mathematician Paolo Guarini di Forli, circa 15-16 century. This time the board is slightly bigger - the 3x4 rectangle, while the number of Knights is 6 - three white and three black ones.
The number of single leaps is proved to be 16 for this puzzle. But counting multi-leaps by one Knight as one move, the number of moves can be decreased below 12.
While solving you'll discover the two most inconvenient cells are the two central ones in the middle column. Once a Knight lands there, it requires an intricate chain of leaps to get it out of there to some desirable spot. It doesn't mean you should avoid those cells, it only implies you should be cautious while using them.
Otherwise, since 6 cells are always vacant, this chess puzzle provides rather sufficient room for maneuvering while marching the Knights towards the victorious finish.