Shouldering Off the King
White to play and draw
PlayYou are a whole rook up and you cannot win. The black king stands in your king's way, body to body, and that alone costs you the point.
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Shouldering Off the King
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Shouldering is one of the quiet arts of king play. Instead of checking or chasing, a king simply stands in the way and takes ground away from its rival.
Hold the queening square. Rh1 covers a1 along the first rank, so any promotion is met by Rxa1. Rh2+ does the same job from the pawn's rank. Those two, plus Rb3+ and Kb4, are the only moves that draw.
The shoulder. Your king needs b3 to get at the pawn. The black king on b2 already covers it, and after Rh2+ Ka3 it covers b2, b3 and b4 at once. There is no route in.
One attacker is not enough. A rook alone can stop the pawn but never win it. Without king support, the extra rook is worth exactly half a point.
Keep going
Outflanking: The Réti Study
White to play and win
Rook Against Connected Pawns
White to play and draw
Connected Passers: Shelter Behind Your Own Pawn
White to play and win
All 83 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)