Queen and Pawn vs Rook and Pawn: When the King Reaches the Seventh
White to play and win
PlayThis is the drawn Grigoriev position with one change: your king starts on the seventh rank instead of g5. That is the exact criterion. With the white king on the seventh or eighth rank, the verdict flips and White wins.
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The King on the Seventh Changes the Verdict
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
The fortress in Grigoriev's position rests on two rules the defender must keep. Move the attacking king and he can no longer keep them.
The exact criterion. The evaluation of the drawn position changes if the white king stands on the seventh or the eighth rank. From d7, White wins.
The break. Qg5+ Kh7 h6, doing exactly the two things Black was supposed to prevent: the h-pawn advances safely, and the queen takes the f8 square.
The takeaway. In this material a fortress is a set of conditions, not a shape. When you meet a drawn structure, ask which condition would break it, and whether you can put your king where it breaks.
In this drill the win is short and forcing. Find the pawn break and finish cleanly.
Keep going
Adjacent Pawns: Walk the King to g7
Black to play and draw
The Queen Sacrifice That Breaks the Wall
White to play and win
Queen vs Rook
White to play and win
All 19 queen vs rook positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)