Rook and Pawn vs Rook: The Frontal Draw
White to play and draw
PlaySame pawn on f6, same black king on g8, same black rook on a8. Only your king has changed: e6 instead of g6. That one square is the whole game, and this one is a draw.
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The Wrong Side of the Pawn
White to play and draw · Hold the draw against perfect play
Waking the engine…
The theory
This position and the winning one differ by a single fact: which square your king is on. From g6 it wins. From e6 it is a draw.
Not the defender's doing. Black's setup is unchanged, king on g8 and rook on a8. So the tempting rule "the defending king reached the front of the pawn" is not the explanation.
What g6 was for. It covered f7 and g7, which is what makes the rook lift to h7 and the check on f7 decisive. From e6 the same idea never works, and Black's rook gets time to become active: Rb7 Kf8, Kf5 Ra1.
The honest verdict. Nothing wins, and almost everything draws. The only losers are Ra1 and Rb8+, which hang the rook, and Re1, which runs into Re8+. Take the half point.
Keep going
A Drawn Pawn on the Sixth
White to play and draw
Pawn on the Sixth: the King Steps to e8
White to play and win
Pawn on the Sixth: Only Ra7+ Holds
Black to play and draw
All 96 rook endgames positionsFollow the full curriculum (free)