The Philidor Position
The draw every rook endgame defender must know by heart
Rook and pawn versus rook, with the defender's king in front of the pawn: this is the Philidor position, analyzed by François-André Philidor in 1777, and it is a dead draw, if you know the two-step method. Guess instead, and it loses in a handful of moves.
Play this ending (free)Step one: hold the sixth rank
The defense begins with the rook planted on the third rank counted from the defender's side: here, Black's sixth. From b6 the rook fences off the white king: as long as White's king cannot reach the sixth rank, there is no way to make progress, because king support is the only thing that can escort the pawn home safely.
So Black simply shuffles the rook along the rank (a6, b6, c6), refusing to be dislodged. White can maneuver forever; the fence holds. What Black must not do is drift into passivity or start checking prematurely: the rank is the defense.
Step two: when the pawn advances, check from behind
White's only way to threaten the fence is to push the pawn (e5-e6), planning to use it as shelter for the king. That is the defender's cue for the plan switch: the moment the pawn reaches the sixth rank, the fence has served its purpose, and the rook drops all the way down (1...Rb1!) to begin checking from behind.
Now the geometry has flipped in Black's favor: the pawn on e6 has robbed the white king of its own best shelter square, so the checks from b1 never end: the king has nowhere to hide from them. Perpetual check, or the king abandons the pawn. Draw either way. Two moves of knowledge; that is the entire defense.
Why this position rules the endgame
The Philidor is the counterweight to the Lucena: the attacker steers for the Lucena (king in front of the pawn), the defender for the Philidor (own king in front of the pawn). Whoever wins that race of kings wins the theoretical debate; everything else in rook-and-pawn-versus-rook is commentary.
And when you can't reach the Philidor (king driven away from the front of the pawn), the backup defenses take over: the short-side defense, the passive back-rank defense against a rook pawn, the Vancura. Each is a playable drill here; the tablebase defender will show you instantly which positions still hold and which are lost.
Questions
What is the Philidor position in chess?
The fundamental drawing position in rook and pawn versus rook: the defending king stands in front of the pawn and the defending rook holds the third rank (from the defender's side), preventing the attacking king from advancing. Analyzed by Philidor in 1777.
Why does the rook sit on the third/sixth rank?
It fences the attacking king away from the sixth rank. Without king support ahead of the pawn, the attacker cannot make progress; the pawn alone can be handled by checks once it advances.
When do I stop holding the rank and start checking?
The moment the pawn advances to your third rank (the attacker's sixth). The advanced pawn deprives the attacking king of its shelter, so your rook goes to the far end of the board and checks from behind forever.
Is the Philidor position the same as the Philidor Defense?
No. The Philidor Defense (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6) is an opening; the Philidor position is a rook endgame drawing method. Both are named after François-André Danican Philidor, the strongest player of the 18th century.
Is the Philidor position always a draw?
Yes: with correct play it is a tablebase draw. The losses happen when the defender never learned the method: passive rook moves or premature checks lose to the standard winning technique within a few moves.
Don't just read it, play it
Every position below is playable right now, free, no signup, against a tablebase-perfect opponent that never gives up and explains every mistake.
The Philidor Position
Black to play and draw
The Passive Back-Rank Defense
Black to play and draw
The Short-Side Defense
Black to play and draw
Follow the full curriculum (free)or sharpen these endings in the Gym