Rook vs Knight Pawn: Squeezing the King in Front
White to play and win
PlayA knight pawn has a weak side: next to it, toward the edge, there is only the rook file. The rule: drive his king in front of its pawn. If it then steps aside onto the rook file, a check sends it straight back in front of the pawn, and the pawn falls.
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The Knight-Pawn Squeeze
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 check, Rc7+, which drives his king off c3. If it goes to d3, Rb7 attacks the pawn and wins the tempo your king needs to walk around: Kc7, Kb6, Ka5, Ka4, Ka3, and the pawn is stopped.
A knight pawn is awkward for the attacker, full of stalemate ideas, yet it carries a hidden flaw. The only file next to it is the edge file, and a king driven there has nowhere real to go.
Too narrow to escape. Against a central pawn the defending king can dodge to either side. Beside a knight pawn one side is the board's edge, so pinning the king in front of his own pawn is nearly decisive: every time he steps to the rook file he can be herded straight back.
King as a wall. Bring your king in on the correct squares, Kd7-Kd6, so its body seals the escape to the wide side. The wrong route runs into a shoulder-charge with Kc4. When the pawn reaches b2, Ra7+ pins the king in front of it.
In this drill the defender will look for stalemate at every turn, so avoid moves like Rc2 in the final net. Squeeze cleanly, win the pawn, and mate on the edge.
Keep going
The Pawn That Beats the Rook
White to play and win
The Rook's Waiting Move
White to play and win
The Tail-Hook
Black to play and draw
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)