function knightDistance(rowCount, colCount, whiteX, whiteY, blackX, blackY) {
// Convert the state so to ensure that black is at the right & upper side of white, and below the diagonal
if (blackX < whiteX) return knightDistance(rowCount, colCount, blackX, blackY, whiteX, whiteY); // Swap pieces
if (blackY < whiteY) return knightDistance(rowCount, colCount, whiteX, rowCount - 1 - whiteY, blackX, rowCount - 1 - blackY); // Mirror against X axis
let diffX = blackX - whiteX;
let diffY = blackY - whiteY;
if (diffX < diffY) return knightDistance(colCount, rowCount, whiteY, whiteX, blackY, blackX); // mirror along diagonal
if (diffX == 2 && diffY == 2) return 4;
if (diffX <= 2 * diffY && diffX != 1) {
if ((diffX + diffY) % 2) return Math.floor((diffX + diffY + 1) / 6) * 2 + 1;
return Math.floor((diffX + diffY + 4) / 6) * 2;
}
if (rowCount == 1 || colCount == 2) return -1;
if (rowCount == 2 && diffX % 4 != 2 * diffY) return -1;
if (diffX + diffY > 3) {
if ((diffX + diffY) % 2) return Math.floor((diffX + 1) / 4) * 2 + 1;
return Math.floor((diffX + 3) / 4) * 2;
}
// Now rowCount > 2 and colCount > 2
// Other cases where lack of space plays a role
if (diffY == 1) {
// Now diffX == 1
if (rowCount == 3 && colCount == 3 && whiteX == whiteY) return -1;
if (whiteX == 0 && whiteY == 0 || blackX == colCount - 1 && blackY == rowCount - 1) return 4;
return 2;
}
// Now diffY == 0
if (diffX == 1) {
if (whiteY == 1 && rowCount == 3 && colCount == 3) return -1;
if (whiteY == 1 && rowCount == 3 && colCount == 4 && whiteX == 1) return 5;
return 3;
}
if (diffX == 2) {
if (whiteY == 1 && rowCount == 3) return 4;
return 2;
}
// Now diffY == 3
if (colCount == 4 && (whiteY == 0 || whiteY == rowCount - 1)) return 5;
return 3;
}
// The BFS algorithm for verification of the above function
function knightDistanceBfs(rowCount, colCount, whiteX, whiteY, blackX, blackY) {
let visited = new Set;
let frontier = [[whiteX, whiteY]];
visited.add(whiteX + whiteY * colCount);
let steps = 0;
while (frontier.length) {
let newFrontier = [];
for (let [whiteX, whiteY] of frontier) {
if (whiteX == blackX && whiteY == blackY) return steps;
for (let [dx, dy] of [[-2, -1], [2, -1], [2, 1], [-2, 1], [-1, -2], [1, -2], [1, 2], [-1, 2]]) {
let newX = whiteX + dx;
let newY = whiteY + dy;
if (newX < 0 || newY < 0 || newX >= colCount || newY >= rowCount) continue;
let key = newX + newY * colCount;
if (visited.has(key)) continue;
visited.add(key);
newFrontier.push([newX, newY]);
}
}
steps++;
frontier = newFrontier;
}
return -1;
}
// Quick test of all possibilities on boards with at most 5 rows and 5 columns:
for (let rowCount = 1; rowCount <= 5; rowCount++) {
for (let colCount = 1; colCount <= 5; colCount++) {
for (let whiteX = 0; whiteX < colCount; whiteX++) {
for (let whiteY = 0; whiteY < rowCount; whiteY++) {
for (let blackX = 0; blackX < colCount; blackX++) {
for (let blackY = 0; blackY < rowCount; blackY++) {
let answer = knightDistanceBfs(rowCount, colCount, whiteX, whiteY, blackX, blackY);
let answer2 = knightDistance(rowCount, colCount, whiteX, whiteY, blackX, blackY);
if (answer !== answer2) {
console.log({rowCount, colCount, whiteX, whiteY, blackX, blackY});
throw "Test case failed";
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
// I/O handling
let [rowInput, colInput] = document.querySelectorAll("input");
let table = document.querySelector("table");
let outputs = document.querySelectorAll("span");
let whiteX, whiteY, blackX, blackY;
rowInput.oninput = colInput.oninput = function () {
// Create table
table.innerHTML = "";
for (let i = +rowInput.value; i > 0; i--) {
let row = table.insertRow();
for (let j = +colInput.value; j > 0; j--) {
row.insertCell();
}
}
whiteX = -1;
blackX = -1;
};
table.onclick = function (e) {
if (e.target.tagName != "TD") return;
let x = e.target.cellIndex;
let y = e.target.parentNode.rowIndex;
if (x == whiteX && y == whiteY) {
e.target.textContent = "";
whiteX = -1;
whiteY = -1;
} else if (x == blackX && y == blackY) {
e.target.textContent = "";
blackX = -1;
blackY = -1;
} else if (whiteX == -1) {
e.target.textContent = "♘";
whiteX = x;
whiteY = y;
} else {
if (blackX != -1) { // Remove black piece first
table.rows[blackY].cells[blackX].textContent = "";
}
e.target.textContent = "♞";
blackX = x;
blackY = y;
}
if (blackX != -1 && whiteX != -1) {
outputs[0].textContent = knightDistanceBfs(+rowInput.value, +colInput.value, whiteX, whiteY, blackX, blackY);
outputs[1].textContent = knightDistance(+rowInput.value, +colInput.value, whiteX, whiteY, blackX, blackY);
} else {
outputs[0].textContent = outputs[1].textContent = "--";
}
}
rowInput.oninput();
table { border-collapse: collapse; cursor: pointer; margin: 2px }
td { border: 1px solid; width: 22px; height: 22px; padding: 0 }
input { width: 3em }
<div>Rows: <input id="rows" type="number" value="3"> Columns: <input id="cols" type="number" value="3"></div>
<table></table>
Number of moves: <span>--</span> (with BFS: <span>--</span>)
<div>Click on the board to place/remove pieces</div>