Rook endgames
Rook endings are the most common endgames in chess, and the hardest to play well. Drill the Lucena, the Philidor and the Vancura until building the bridge and holding the draw are second nature.
96 positions to play
Rook vs Advanced Pawn
White to play and win
The Lucena Position
White to play and win
The Philidor Position
Black to play and draw
The Passive Back-Rank Defense
Black to play and draw
Cutting Off the King
White to play and win
Cutting the King Off: Rook Against a Runner
White to play and win
Rook vs Rook-Pawn: The Defender's Tempo
Black to play and draw
Cutting Off a Knight-Pawn
White to play and win
The Lone f-Pawn Falls Short
White to play and draw
Outflanking: The Réti Study
White to play and win
Pawn on the Seventh: Building the Bridge
White to play and win
Where the Side Checks Run Out
White to play and win
The Knight Underpromotion Defense
White to play and draw
When the Knight Trick Fails
White to play and win
Rook Against Connected Pawns
White to play and draw
Connected Passers: Shelter Behind Your Own Pawn
White to play and win
The Rook Belongs Behind the Leading Pawn
White to play and win
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
Shouldering Off the King
White to play and draw
The Check That Buys a Tempo
White to play and win
The Stalemate Resource
Black to play and draw
King Trapped in Front of the Rook Pawn
White to play and draw
Freeing the King From Its Own Rook Pawn
White to play and win
The Frontal Attack: A Pawn Short of the Mid-Line
White to play and draw
The Far Rook Still Holds
White to play and draw
Rook on the First Rank, King to the Rescue
White to play and draw
Cut, Shoulder, Check, Push
White to play and win
One Tempo Saves the Draw: Only Kd5
Black to play and draw
Cut Off by Two Files: King First, Pawn Last
White to play and win
Zugzwang Against a King on the Edge
White to play and win
Knight Pawn: Two Files of Cut Is Not Enough
White to play and draw
Philidor's Defense on the Fifth
Black to play and draw
The Fifth-Rank Fortress: 1.Kf6 Does Not Win
White to play and draw
Rook Behind the Pawn, King to the Side
Black to play and draw
Knight Pawn: The Long Side or Nothing
Black to play and draw
Pawn on the Sixth: The Rook Goes to h7
White to play and win
Holding the Sixth-Rank Pawn
Black to play and draw
The Wrong Side of the Pawn
White to play and draw
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
The Rook Too Close to the Pawn
White to play and win
Rook Behind the Pawn, King to e8
White to play and win
The Vancura Position
Black to play and draw
One Tempo Too Late for Vancura
Black to play and draw
The Standard Draw: Rook in Front of the Pawn on the Seventh
White to play and draw
Rook Behind the Passed Pawn
White to play and win
The Frontal Defense
Black to play and draw
Two Pawns Beat the Rook
White to play and win
Just Counting: The Promotion Race
White to play and win
Outflanking From Behind the Pawn
White to play and win
The Attacker's Shoulder-Charge
White to play and win
Cut Off One Rank Ahead of the Pawn
Black to play and draw
The Outside Passer: Play Where You Are a Piece Up
White to play and win
Lucena's Limit: The Rook Pawn
Black to play and draw
The Saavedra Study
White to play and win
Rook vs Connected Passed Pawns
White to play and win
Vancura With an Extra Rook Pawn
Black to play and draw
Smyslov's Method: The Rook Goes Back
White to play and draw
The g-File Defence: The King Tucks in on h3
White to play and draw
Connected Pawns Escorted by the Rook Alone
White to play and win
Kling and Horwitz: The King Blockades
White to play and draw
The King March and the Zugzwang Squares
White to play and win
The Rook at the Side of the Pawns
Black to play and win
The Exchange Threat and the Rook Sacrifice
Black to play and draw
Doubled Pawns and the Philidor Draw
White to play and draw
The Gap Between the f- and h-Pawns
White to play and draw
Defending Against Split Kingside Pawns
Black to play and draw
Giving Up the h-Pawn to Push the f-Pawn
White to play and draw
Lasker's Idea: Check, Then Capture
White to play and win
Active Defence: Walk the King to the Passer
Black to play and draw
Self-Propelled Pawns Against a Counter-Runner
White to play and draw
One Tempo for the a-Pawn
Black to play and draw
The Structure Decides, Not the Tempo
White to play and win
The Same Position, One Tempo Better
White to play and win
Winning the Rook for the Pawn
White to play and win
The f-Pawn Breaks the a8 Fortress
White to play and win
The Umbrella: Hiding Behind an Enemy Pawn
Black to play and win
Vertical Checks Against the Far-Advanced Pawn
Black to play and draw
The Rook in Front of Its Pawn
White to play and win
The Vancura Position
Black to play and draw
The Short-Side Defense
Black to play and draw
Checking Distance: The Long Side
Black to play and draw
The Kling and Horwitz Defense
Black to play and draw
Connected Passers vs the Counter-Pawn
White to play and win
Rook vs Three Connected Pawns
White to play and win
The Knight-Pawn Squeeze
White to play and win
The Pawn That Beats the Rook
White to play and win
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
The Second-Rank Defense against Doubled Pawns
White to play and draw
F- and H-Pawns Beat the Back-Rank King
White to play and win
The e6 Wedge: Two Pawns Beat One
White to play and win
Learn the theory
The written method behind these positions: what to aim for, the exact moves, and the traps that lose a won ending.
Rook Endgames
The ending you will meet most often, and the first to study
The Lucena Position
The most important winning position in chess
The Philidor Position
The draw every rook endgame defender must know by heart
The Vancura Position
The sideways defense that tames the rook pawn
Back-Rank Mate
Three loyal pawns, one undefended rank
Do Not Hurry
Improve everything you can before you change anything you can't
Binding
A piece that must stay is a piece you do not have to fight
Practice endlessly
Once you know the model, drill an endless stream of fresh, tablebase-verified variations of the same pattern.
