Minimum Knight Moves
WalmartThe problem
Given a chessboard where the knight can move in an "L" shape (two squares in one direction and then one square perpendicular), you are given a starting position (0,0) and a target position (x, y). Find the minimum number of moves required for the knight to reach (x, y).
Input: x = 2, y = 1 Output: 1 Explanation: [0, 0] → [2, 1]
Input: x = 5, y = 5 Output: 4 Explanation: [0, 0] → [2, 1] → [4, 2] → [3, 4] → [5, 5]
Input: x = 3, y = 3
- -300 ≤ x, y ≤ 300
- 0 ≤ |x| + |y| ≤ 300
cpp
class Solution {
public:
int minKnightMoves(int x, int y) {
//Your Code Goes Here
}
};java
class Solution {
public int minKnightMoves(int x, int y) {
// Your Code Goes Here
}
}python
class Solution(object):
def minKnightMoves(self, x, y):
"""
:type x: int
:type y: int
:rtype: int
"""
#Your Code Goes Herejavascript
/**
* @param {number} x
* @param {number} y
* @return {number}
*/
class Solution{
minKnightMoves(x, y){
//your code goes here
}
}csharp
public class Solution
{
public int MinKnightMoves(int x, int y)
{
//Your Code Goes Here
}
}go
func minKnightMoves(x, y int) int {
// Your Code Goes Here
}Stuck? Show a way to structure it+
- 01Reflect the target into the first quadrant.
- 02Run BFS from the origin using knight moves.
- 03Bound exploration slightly below zero.
- 04Track visited coordinates.
- 05Return the first distance reaching target.
Reference answer
Then expect these follow-ups
Can bidirectional BFS improve this?
Tests: search optimization
Why is a negative margin necessary?
Tests: geometry
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