Rook Endgame: Holding With a Passer on Opposite Wings
Black to play and draw
PlayWhite's rook is behind your a-pawn and his king stands in front of his connected pawns. Normally you would be lost, but it is your move, and that saves you. The rule: push the a-pawn at once, then put your rook behind the g3-pawn and take it with check.
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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
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
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 what is left is a drawn rook-and-h-pawn ending.
Why the check exists. The save works only because a White pawn still sits on the third rank, in range of your rook's capture with check. Move the White pawns to g4 and h3 with the king on h4 and the draw is gone: the capture would come without check, and White reaches a winning g-pawn ending.
In this drill only a2 holds. Everything else loses.
Keep going
The Structure Decides, Not the Tempo
White to play and win
The Same Position, One Tempo Better
White to play and win
Winning the Rook for the Pawn
White to play and win
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)