Rook and Pawn vs Bishop: Winning the Bishop
White to play and win, after Guretzky-Cornitz, 1863
PlayThe black king has been driven out of the corner. Now the rook takes the square protected by its own pawn, and together they hunt down the bishop. The pawn stays on h4 all the way.
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Take the Outpost, Then Hunt the Bishop
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
This is the same Guretzky-Cornitz ending a few moves on, with the black king already outside the corner. The conversion is a hunt, not a march.
The pawn is a bodyguard. On h4 it protects g5. That lets the rook plant itself on g5 and stay there, sealing the g-file so the king can never return to h8. Push the pawn to h5 and the win evaporates instantly.
The target is the bishop. With the king cut off, White walks Kh5-h6 and swings the rook (Rg3, Rg7+, Rg1, Rg2) until the bishop has no safe square left. Rf2+ collects it.
No promotion, no race. The pawn stays on h4 for the entire ending. Rg2, Rg6, Rb7, Re7, Rf7+, Rh7, Rg8+, Kg5 and Kh5 all throw the win away.
In this drill the bishop dodges everything you throw at it. Take g5, keep the pawn home, and squeeze.
Keep going
Stalemate, Not a Fortress
White to play and draw
Rook vs Knight: Keep the Knight Beside Its King
White to play and draw
The Pawn on the Bishop's Colour Is Lost
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All 30 rook vs minor positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)