Rook vs Connected Pawns: Behind the Leading Pawn
White to play and win
PlayHe has two connected passed pawns, and his king is coming to help them. The rule: put your rook behind the more advanced pawn. Then win one pawn before his king arrives, and cut his king off from the other one.
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 Rook Belongs Behind the Leading Pawn
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.
Which pawn is the more advanced one? The g-pawn, on g3. Behind the other pawn the rook fails: after Rf6 g2 Rg6 f3, the f-pawn protects g2, and Rxg2 fxg2 lets it through. Black wins.
When a rook faces two connected passed pawns, one rule decides the game: the rook belongs behind the more advanced pawn.
Only one move. Rg6 wins. The g-pawn is the leader, and the rook slots in behind it, freezing it and keeping the f-pawn in range.
Behind the wrong pawn loses. Rf6, behind the f-pawn, does not hold, and neither does anything on the a-file. The rule is not a preference, it is the difference between a win and a loss.
Then collect. With the leader nailed down, the rook picks the pawns off one at a time and the rest is elementary technique.
Keep going
Rook Against Separated Pawns
White to play and draw
Three Files Apart: The Rook Is Overloaded
Black to play and win
Separated Passers Overrun the Rook
Black to play and win
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)