Rook vs Advanced Pawn
White to play and win
PlayYour rook against a pawn one step from queening, escorted by its king. Cut, harass, and bring your own king. Order of operations is everything.
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
Rook vs Advanced Pawn
Win against perfect defense
Setting up the board…
The theory
Rook versus pawn looks trivial (a whole rook!) and produces an astonishing number of half-point tragedies, because a pawn on the sixth or seventh escorted by its king is genuinely fast.
The principles. (1) Your king matters most: measure whether it reaches the queening scene in time, and start running immediately if in doubt. (2) The rook harasses from BEHIND the pawn or from the side: checks that force the escorting king to step in front of its own pawn each gain a full tempo. (3) Cut the king off from the pawn when it lags: a rook fence between king and pawn strands the pawn entirely.
When it's won and when it isn't. With the attacking king close enough, the rook simply wins the pawn. With the defending duo too advanced and your king too far, the pawn promotes. This drill's starting position is a win, but only if your first moves respect the tempo count.