Typical Rook Endgames 3 v. 2 on the Same Flank

This is a follow-up to my previous article on defending 4 v 3.

The rook endgame three versus two on the same flank is the little brother of the one which we have already studied. The difference favours the defender as there is one pawn less that in the similar endgame.

These endgames are usually drawn and the defense is relatively easy.

The good things remain good here as well, such as the optimal set-up:

However, thanks to the fact that there are less pawns on the board, the weaker side can also adopt different defensive set-ups.

Even a cramped position should not bother the defender, as long as they can liquidate into an endgame with small number of pawns (one or even two extra pawns for the strong side). These endgames are usually theoretical draws:

The defender's worst nightmare is called a "pawn endgame":

From the sample above one can easily figure out the second main danger. It is the king getting cut off from his pawns. In this case they will either be lost due to the combined efforts of the rook, king and pawns; or the defender will have to allow a pawn endgame: