Rook and Pawn vs Rook: The Edge Draw
White to play and draw
PlayYour king and your knight pawn have reached the sixth rank, but his king stands in front of the pawn and his rook waits on the back rank. Against a knight pawn this passive defense holds, so there is no win. Check only while your king protects the rook, leave the pawn where it is, and take the repetition.
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A Drawn Pawn on the Sixth
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
Not every pawn on the sixth wins, and it is worth knowing exactly where the boundary runs.
The recipe fails. Rb7, Rc8, Rg7+ and the black king ducks into the corner with Kh8. Rh7+ Kg8, and you are back to the start.
Why it fails. With an f-pawn, pushing f6-f7 gave check to a king on g8, and that tempo let the rook swing to h8 and win the defending rook. A pawn on g7 attacks f8 and h8, not g8. There is no check, so there is no tempo.
The verdict. Almost every move draws, g7 included, but not Rb8+ or Ra1: both lose. Read the position, take the half point, and spend your energy elsewhere.
Keep going
Pawn on the Sixth: the King Steps to e8
White to play and win
Pawn on the Sixth: Only Ra7+ Holds
Black to play and draw
The Rook Too Close to the Pawn
White to play and win
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)