Rook vs Pawn Endgame: Winning the Race
White to play and win
PlayYour rook is facing a passed pawn three squares from promotion, but the pawn's own king is planted right in front of it. Take the queening square, check to gain time, and walk your king in. Cutting the defending king off works when it is separated from its pawn; here it is not.
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Rook vs Advanced Pawn
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
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.
Keep going
The Lucena Position
White to play and win
The Philidor Position
Black to play and draw
The Passive Back-Rank Defense
Black to play and draw
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)