Rook Endgame: King Trapped in Front of the a-Pawn
White to play and win
PlayYour pawn is one square from promotion, and your king is stuck on a8 right in front of it. You win only because the black king is too far away. If it could reach c7, the game would be a dead draw.
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Freeing the King From Its Own Rook Pawn
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
Your king cannot just walk out. Step to b7, and the rook behind the pawn checks it straight back. First your rook has two jobs: get checking distance, and keep the black king away from c7, the square that saves Black.
A king stuck on a8 in front of its own a-pawn is the classic drawing structure, but it is not always a draw. The result hangs on one square.
The c7 rule. If the defending king reaches c7 the game is drawn: it sits next to the pawn and your king can never emerge. Keep it out of c7 and you win.
The method. Use the rook either to cut the defending king off (Rc2 here) or to take checking distance (Rh2), then walk your king out to b7 and along the eighth rank under the rook's cover.
In this drill the black king starts on f7, one tempo too slow to reach c7. Cut it off, free your king, and promote.
Keep going
The Frontal Attack: A Pawn Short of the Mid-Line
White to play and draw
The Far Rook Still Holds
White to play and draw
Rook on the First Rank, King to the Rescue
White to play and draw
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)