Hand knight a different piece (4)
I believe the answer is:
pawn
'a different piece' is the definition.
'pawn' can be an answer for 'piece' (pawn is a kind of chess piece). I'm not certain of the 'a different' bit.
'hand knight' is the wordplay.
'hand' becomes 'paw' (synonyms).
'knight' becomes 'n' (chess abbreviation).
'paw'+'n'='PAWN'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for pawn that I've seen before include "Person used to gain an end" , "The foot-soldier in chess" , "Chess piece -- puppet" , "Get ready for" , "Lodge (item) for money" .)