Where is the best square for a horse in the opening?
These answers restate the rules implemented by our open-source engine, which follows the WXF laws for movement, checkmate and both repetition rulings: a side that forces a repetition by perpetual check or perpetual chase loses rather than drawing. The chase half has not been validated against the official casebook. Where an answer refers to a specific position, that position lives on the linked reference page, where the build verifies it before publishing.
Direct answer
The point on the third or seventh file, where it defends the central soldier. That is the square Screen Horses develops to, and it is the standard choice for a reason: it develops a piece and defends the centre with one move, and from there the horse can later jump forward toward the attack.
Why the rim is usually worse
A horse on the edge file only reaches four points instead of eight, because half its potential moves fall off the board entirely. It is occasionally the right square in a specific system, but as a default developing square it wastes the horse's own mobility.
Check the legs before committing
Before settling a horse anywhere, look at whether your own pawns or pieces will end up blocking its legs a few moves later. A horse developed to a good square that then gets boxed in by its own soldier has achieved very little.
Related questions
Is the edge square ever correct?
Yes, in some flexible systems it supports a specific plan, but it is the exception rather than the rule.
Should both horses go to the same kind of square?
Usually, in symmetrical systems like Screen Horses. Other openings may treat the two horses differently.
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