Rook Endgame: f- and h-Pawns and the Missing Support
White to play and draw
PlayYou have two extra pawns, but the empty g-file splits your f- and h-pawns, and his king is not on the back rank. With correct defence this is a draw. The rule for both sides: the defender holds while his king stays off the back rank and his rook stays far away, ready to check. Your only winning chances come from pushing his king to the back rank.
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The Gap Between the f- and h-Pawns
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
Watch the method: press play to see the winning idea run, or step through it move by move.
Two extra pawns do not guarantee a win when they cannot help each other, and a gap between them is exactly such a weakness.
Split pawns. Pawns separated by a file give your king nowhere to hide from checks, so the defending rook never runs out of them.
The rim factor. An h-pawn is a rook pawn, the easiest of all to hold against, which drags the evaluation toward a draw.
In this drill you play the stronger side and learn to recognize when a two-pawn kingside edge simply does not win.
Keep going
Defending Against Split Kingside Pawns
Black to play and draw
Giving Up the h-Pawn to Push the f-Pawn
White to play and draw
Lasker's Idea: Check, Then Capture
White to play and win
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)