Puzzle to train chess endings - Rook and King vs King

Basic Mates

2 - Rook and King vs. King

IMPORTANT: At the end of the puzzles, you should click MOVE LIST so you can see notes.

There is only one type of mating position with the rook, although it may occur on any square on the edge of the board (See Basic Mate 1 and 2).

Basic Mate 1

 

Basic Mate 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The principle is the same as with all basic mates: The stronger side must drive the opposing King tothe edge of the board-not necessarily a corner of the board, although that is usually the case.

There are two different winning techniques.

The first is based on the opposition of the kings with the rook being far away (See Basic Mate 3).

Basic Mate 3

 

 

 

In the second method, the attacking rook operates near its king and confines the defending king to rectangles, which becomes smaller and smaller (See Basic Mate 4).

Basic Mate 4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fastest way to mate the king is a mixture of both techniques using the one appropriate for the given position.

The mate requires no more than 16 moves, although in most cases it can be done much more quickly (See Basic Mates 5, 6 and 7)

Basic Mate 5

Basic Mate 6

 

Basic Mate 7

The most common stalemate is: White King at f6, Black King at h8 and White Rook at g7.

Stalemate 1

The only other possibility is: White King at f8, Black King at h8 and White Rook at a7 (or b7, c7, d7, e7, f7, g7).
Stalemate 2