Lucena, Study #1

Lucena, Study #1

As an Adult Improver, sometimes it takes a while for the ideas to sink in.  Tonight, I've been looking at the Rook and Pawn endgames and particularly a pure Lucena Position.  Well, I've just learned, it doesn't always go the way the book says.  Here's the Lucena Position.  Let's look at it from White's point of view.  But it's black to move.

1..Kc6

hmm.  This is Lucena and all the books say I need to move my rook to the 4th rank, but Black's rook is already holding the 4th rank.  uhh, I have to think.  Did I already screw this up?  How do I build my nice bridge they always talk about.  Have to build a bridge.  Ok, after some thinking..  The Black Rook is so close to the pawn, that a bridge can be built without the rook.  Proceed as if it were a regular Lucena and you had you're rook on the 4th rank, although it is not.

There!  I have a bridge without a rook even.  Black cannot give any more checks on the f-file.  Basically, it's over at this point, but Black can try some tricks which are easily thwarted.

Skewering the King and Queen and getting the draw.  Instead, prevent this simply with 4. Rf1 and the pawn will Queen without any more issues.