Philidor Position: The Drawing Defense in Rook Endgames
Black to play and draw
PlayYour king stands in front of the pawn, and his rook on a7 keeps your king on the back rank. Put your rook on your third rank, the sixth rank here, so his king cannot step onto it. When the pawn moves onto that rank, send your rook to the far end of the board and check from behind, at once and on every move.
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Philidor's Defense on the Fifth
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.
If you learn one defensive technique in rook endings, make it Philidor. It saves half a point in the most common material on the board.
Hold the rank. The defending rook sits on the rank in front of the pawn (the third rank from the defender's side), stopping the enemy king from advancing to the sixth. The king stays in front of the pawn. Nothing progresses.
Then check from behind. The attacker's only try is to push the pawn, but that abandons the shelter of its own king. Now the rook drops to the back and checks from the rear; with no cover, the enemy king can never escape the checks.
In this drill the attacker will probe for a way through. Keep the king in front, hold the rank, and switch to rear checks the moment the pawn moves.
Keep going
The Fifth-Rank Fortress: 1.Kf6 Does Not Win
White to play and draw
Rook Behind the Pawn, King to the Side
Black to play and draw
Knight Pawn: The Long Side or Nothing
Black to play and draw
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)