Building Good Foundations in Rook Endings

Already I've been rewarded by studying diagram 25 (from ECE Rook Part 2) as when I came to diagram 26 I could quickly figure out why Black draws.

It's becoming apparent to me that with Chess Endgame Knoweldge, having a great foundation is so critical. It helps you find why one position is a win, but another is a draw based on what appears just a subtle difference. One doesn't need to calculate from scratch because they have understanding.

My OTB tournament days are over for now, but I'm happy to discover these things.

Diagram 26: Black to Move and Draw

How quickly can you find out why Black draws this position, but loses if his Rook was on e1?

Diagram 25: Black to move loses 

Please check out my blog entry on this position, as it unlocks the key to Diagram 26 quickly.

http://www.chess.com/blog/blohmoremoney/rook-endings-open-your-mind 

Annotations and Analysis