Lucena Position Practice: Build the Bridge
White to play and win, after Lucena
PlayYour pawn is on the seventh rank, your king stands in front of it, and his rook drives your king back with checks every time it steps out. The way out is the bridge. One check pushes his king a file further away, your rook goes to the fourth rank, and your king walks down the board. When his checks reach your king, your rook blocks them on the fourth rank and the pawn queens.
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New to this ending? Learn the method first: The Lucena Position
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The Lucena Position
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 leave b8 yet: his king covers c7, and his rook on the a-file covers a7 and a8. Never play Ra1?? It offers a trade, and after Rxa1 your king has no legal move. That is stalemate, a draw.
If rook endings are the most common endings in chess, the Lucena is their capital city: rook and pawn versus rook, pawn on the seventh, attacking king in front of it. Every winning technique funnels here.
The problem. Your king sits on the promotion square, and the defending rook checks forever from behind. Step out along the file and the checks follow; block with your rook too early and the defender's king walks back.
The bridge. (1) Rook to the FOURTH rank, the key move that looks mysterious until the very end. (2) A rook check drives the enemy king one more file away, which finally frees a square for your king. (3) King steps out toward the middle. (4) The checks begin: the king walks down the board... (5) ...and lands next to the rook, which now blocks the check while shielding the pawn's promotion. The 'bridge' is a roof of rook and king under which the pawn queens.
Boundary conditions. The technique needs a non-rook pawn (a knight, bishop or centre pawn; rook pawns are a different story) and the defending king cut off by at least one file. And the drill steps in only when releasing the cut actually costs the win: here 1.Rd1+ leaves the c-file and is still one of the fastest wins, while 1.Ra1 is the real blunder, since 1...Rxa1 leaves White stalemated.
Keep going
The Philidor Position
Black to play and draw
The Passive Back-Rank Defense
Black to play and draw
Cutting Off the King
White to play and win
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)