Connected Passers: Shelter Behind Your Own Pawn

White to play and win, after Topalov vs Beliavsky, 1995

Topalov against Beliavsky, Linares 1995. The pawns do not move first, the king does, and it walks to a7, where its own pawn on a6 shields it from every rook check.

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Connected Passers: Shelter Behind Your Own Pawn

White to play and win · Win against perfect defense

Waking the engine…

The theory

Topalov beat Beliavsky at Linares in 1995 with a technique worth keeping: against a rook, your king needs a shelter, and one of your own pawns can be it.

Do not push. Both b6 and a7 throw the win away. Only Kb6 wins, and the a6 pawn does not move at all.

The shield. The king walks to a7. Its own pawn on a6 blocks the a-file, the rook has no check anywhere, and only now can the b-pawn advance in peace.

The finish. b6, b7, and when the rook comes to b1, b8=Q sacrifices the new queen: Rxb8 Kxb8 leaves a pawn ending the a-pawn wins by itself.

Keep going

The Rook Belongs Behind the Leading Pawn

White to play and win

Rook Against Separated Pawns

White to play and draw

Separated Passers Overrun the Rook

Black to play and win

All 83 rook endgames positions Follow the full curriculum (free)