Zugzwang Against a King on the Edge

White to play and win

The black king is pinned to the h-file by your rook, and on h5 it is placed as well as it possibly can be. So do not attack it. Take the move away from it.

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Zugzwang Against a King on the Edge

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.

Your rook cuts the black king off on the g-file, at maximum distance from the pawn. It stays there. And leave the pawn alone: 1.e5? is not among the winning moves.

A king pressed to the edge and cut off by a file is close to helpless in a rook ending. Proving it takes a tool that is rare in this material: zugzwang.

Do not touch the pawn. With the rook cutting on the g-file, 1.e5 is not a winning move. The pawn advances at the end, after the king has done the work.

Win the move. On h5 the black king is optimally placed for defense. The answer is a waiting move along the cutting file, Rg2, and later Rg7 and Rg1. Black runs out of useful moves, the king has to go to h4 or h6, and with mate ideas hanging over a king on the rim it cannot ignore you.

Then walk in. Kd4, Kc5, Kd5, Ke6, Kf6: the king marches toward the checking rook, the side checks dry up, and the pawn follows.

In this drill the attacker's job is patience. Hold the file, take the move, advance last.

Keep going

Knight Pawn: Two Files of Cut Is Not Enough

White 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

All 83 rook endgames positions Follow the full curriculum (free)