Rook and Pawn vs Rook: The Edge Draw
White to play and draw
PlayA knight pawn on the sixth, your king on h6, and the winning recipe from the f-pawn version simply does not exist here.
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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
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)