Chess lessons › Chess endgames
Rook endings: cutting off the king
With rook and pawn against rook, use your rook to keep the enemy king away from the pawn.
The idea
A rook between the enemy king and your pawn keeps the king away.
- Your rook holds the f-file, between Black’s king and the pawn.
- Black’s king cannot cross the f-file to reach the pawn.
- Your king and pawn can advance together, and White wins.
In a game: With rook and pawn against rook, see if your rook can shut the enemy king away from the pawn.
How the lesson begins
With a rook and a pawn against a rook, the extra pawn does not always win. The defender wants to put the king in front of the pawn. The attacker’s best weapon is to cut the king off: put the rook on a file between the king and the pawn, so the king cannot cross it.
Here White’s rook on f1 holds the whole f-file. Black’s king on g6 is cut off from the pawn on d4 by two files, and White wins.
A question
Now the rook cuts the king off on the e-file, right next to the pawn, and Black’s king stands on f6. It is Black’s move. Does White still win?
Show the answer
No. With good defence Black draws.
Right. The king is cut off by only one file, so it stays close enough to come back. Black holds the draw, though only two moves do it: Ra4 and Ra8. The further from the pawn you cut the king off, the surer the win.
In numbers
Positions to practise
64 positions in the study, every result proved by the tablebase: 30 are wins, 29 draws and 5 losses for the side to move, with best play on both sides.