Rook and Pawn vs Rook: Pawn on the Sixth
White to play and win
PlayYour king is on g6, right in front of his king, and his rook is stuck on the eighth rank. The rule: your rook takes the seventh rank, checks from g7, and after Kf8 it goes to h7. From there a check on the eighth rank decides the game.
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Pawn on the Sixth: The Rook Goes to h7
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
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The theory
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With the pawn on the sixth and your king already on g6, the win is a rook maneuver, not a king march. Your king stays on g6 until the rooks come off.
Rook to the seventh. Rb7 first. The defending rook is stuck on the eighth rank and can only shuffle.
The h7 square. Rg7+ drives the black king to f8, and then Rh7 waits. Black can go back to g8 or run with Ke8, and both lose.
The finish. After Kg8, f7+ is check, Kf8 is forced, and Rh8+ forces the trade of rooks on the eighth rank. After Ke8, Rh8+ forces the same trade at once. The pawn queens. All of it depends on your king standing on g6: from e6 the identical position is only a draw.
Keep going
Holding the Sixth-Rank Pawn
Black to play and draw
The Wrong Side of the Pawn
White to play and draw
A Drawn Pawn on the Sixth
White to play and draw
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)