Pawn vs Rook: Walk the King to Shelter
White to play and win
PlayA pawn on the seventh with its king right beside it can beat a lone rook, and not only in famous studies. The rook checks; your king walks a ladder. Step down the board to shake the checks off, then climb the b-file to the one square where they finally stop, b7.
Updated
New to this ending? Learn the method first: Rook Endgames
No signup needed. The opponent never gives up, and every mistake gets explained.
The Pawn That Beats the Rook
White to play and win · Win against perfect defense
Waking the engine…
The theory
Usually a rook stops a lone pawn with ease, but there is a scenario where the pawn wins outright: a pawn on the seventh sheltered by its own king, with only two rook squares that lose. This is the practical cousin of the famous studies.
Down, across, and up. The rook has nothing but checks. Your king answers them with a ladder: down the board first, staying diagonal so no check ever comes with a fork or a hit on the pawn, then across the c-file and up the b-file.
Mind the squares. Precision matters. Drifting to d7 lets the rook reach f1 and draw; crossing with Kc4 instead of Kc3 runs into a pin. The goal is b7, right beside the pawn, where checks run out.
In this drill the rook will check from every angle. Walk the exact ladder, reach the shelter on b7, and promote.
Keep going
The Rook's Waiting Move
White to play and win
The Tail-Hook
Black to play and draw
Hold the Rook Pawn with Precise Checks
Black to play and draw
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)