One Tempo for the a-Pawn
Black to play and draw
PlayWhite's rook sits behind your a-pawn and his king stands in front of two connected passers. Objectively your chances are close to nothing, and yet with the move you hold. Everything turns on one push.
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One Tempo for the a-Pawn
Black to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
A bad position, saved by one move. The enemy king in front of connected passers and the enemy rook behind your passer is close to a losing set of features. Only having the move saves it.
Push the passer now. With the pawn on the second rank the enemy rook is pinned to guard duty behind it, and that is the tempo you need. Waiting loses.
Then counterattack. The rook swings behind the enemy pawns and takes one of them with check, and the extra material is gone.
In this drill only a2 holds. Everything else loses.
Keep going
The Same Position, One Tempo Better
White to play and win
Active Defence: Walk the King to the Passer
Black to play and draw
The Rook at the Side of the Pawns
Black to play and win
All 83 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)