The Vancura Position: Drawing Against a Passed a-Pawn
Black to play and draw, after Vancura
PlaySitting behind the pawn loses here. His rook stands in front of his a-pawn, and his king wants to hide on a7 or b7 so the rook can leave. Your rook attacks the pawn from the side, along the sixth rank, and your king stays on g7 or h7. When his king comes to guard the pawn, check it from the side until it walks away, then put your rook back on the sixth rank.
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The Vancura Position
Black to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
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Ra2 and Ra3+ lose, and so does every king move. Your rook has to reach the sixth rank, and Rf1+ gets it there with a tempo. Wander off with your king instead, and he wins: after Kf7 Ke4 Ke7 a7, his rook goes to h8, and if you take on a7, Rh7+ wins your rook.
With the enemy pawn on a6 and its rook in front of it on a8, the defence that looks natural is the one that loses.
Why behind the pawn fails. The a6-pawn shields White's king on a7 from checks along the a-file. Your rook sitting on a1 has nothing to say, and White untangles.
Vancura's idea. Bring the rook to f6. From the side it attacks the pawn, forces the white rook to stay on a8 guarding it, and keeps enough distance to deliver endless checks along the rank, where the a-pawn offers the king no shelter. Your king holds g7 and h7 so the white rook cannot break out.
In this drill the Vancura setup is the defence to learn. Passive play behind the pawn loses.
Keep going
One Tempo Too Late for Vancura
Black to play and draw
Rook Behind the Pawn on the Seventh: the Defender Holds
Black to play and draw
Rook Behind the Passed Pawn
White to play and win
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)