Rook and Pawn vs Bishop and Pawn: Zugzwang on the Rim

White to play and win, after Kasparov - Yusupov, Linares 1993

Rook and pawn against bishop and pawn on the a-file. There is no second front to open, and no wall to break. The bishop is chained to its pawn, so your job is to take away its last free move.

Updated August 3, 2026

New to this ending? Learn the method first: Domination

No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.

Play for Zugzwang, Not a Breakthrough

White to play and win · Win against perfect defense

Waking the engine…

The theory

The same lesson as the previous rook-pawn ending, from a Kasparov game: the correct plan is zugzwang, not driving the enemy king away.

Find the chained piece. The black bishop cannot leave the a4 pawn's diagonal. It has three squares and no freedom. A piece with no free moves is a zugzwang target.

Triangulate. Your rook shuttles along the d-file (d8, d4, d7) while your king walks a triangle, b5 to c6 to b6, and returns having lost exactly one tempo. Black, who has no spare tempo, must break something.

Precision matters immediately. Only four moves win from the start, and Rd8 is the one. Re7+, Rb8+, Ka5, Kc5 and Kb4 all draw.

In this drill the defence never cracks. Do not chase. Squeeze, triangulate, and hand over the move.

Keep going

The Colour Barrier You Cannot Cross

Black to play and draw

Give the Bishop, Reach Rook Against Pawn

White to play and draw

Rook vs Knight: The Stranded Horse

White to play and win

All 30 rook vs minor positions Follow the full curriculum (free)