The Standard Draw: Rook in Front of the Pawn on the Seventh
White to play and draw
PlayYou are a pawn up with the passer on the seventh, and it is still only a draw. This is the standard defensive formation: your rook is welded to a8, the enemy rook waits behind on a1, and the black king sits in the g7 and h7 safe zone.
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The Standard Draw: Rook in Front of the Pawn on the Seventh
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
An extra pawn on the seventh rank does not win when your own rook is standing in front of it. This is one of the most important drawn structures in rook endings.
The formation. The defender puts his rook behind the pawn and his king on g7 or h7. The attacking rook is nailed to a8: it cannot move along the rank without losing the pawn, and it cannot move to g8 or h8 because the king takes it.
Why it holds. With the rook frozen, only the king can try to make progress, and one king cannot break the setup.
In this drill you play the stronger side and learn the formation from inside, which is what lets you recognize it and avoid it in your own games.
Keep going
The f-Pawn Breaks the a8 Fortress
White to play and win
The Vancura Position
Black to play and draw
One Tempo Too Late for Vancura
Black to play and draw
All 83 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)