Rook and Pawn vs Bishop: Winning the Bishop

White to play and win, after Guretzky-Cornitz, 1863

Play

The black king has left the h8 corner, and your rook and pawn beat the bishop. The rule: keep the pawn on h4, where it guards g5 for your rook and leaves h5 free for your king. Then hunt the bishop with the rook until a check on the f-file cuts the black king off from your pawn.

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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

Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.

First, the move that throws it all away. After h5 the game is a draw: the pawn no longer guards g5, and it stands on h5, the square your king needs to get round.

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) to chase the bishop. Rf2+ then drives the black king away from the pawn.

The pawn waits, then runs. From this diagram, h5, Rg2, Rg6, Rb7, Re7, Rf7+, Rh7, Rg8+, Kg5 and Kh5 all throw the win away. Take g5 first. Once Rf2+ has pushed the king to e5, h5 is the fastest win: the pawn runs, queens, and Black is left with a bare king.

In this drill the bishop dodges everything you throw at it. Take g5, keep the pawn home until the king is driven off, then run.

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)