The Crazy Rook: Saving a Lost Game with Stalemate
Endgames can have surprising tricks, even in positions that look lost.
That position comes from one of the games I saw in last week's tournament. White is ahead in material (by 6 points), and the pawns are not far from promotion (the 1st rank is at the bottom). Is this completely lost for Black, or can they do something?
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If you look closer at this position, you will see that the Black king cannot move anywhere. Without the rook, it would be a draw. So the solution is to sacrifice the rook (force White to take it), and it will be a draw! Once you have the idea, what is the most accurate way to do that?
1... Rd6! 2. Ke5 Re6 3. Kf4 Rf6
The Black rook is checking White's king on the 6th rank (without being afraid of it being captured because of stalemate), and at the same time, it does not allow White's king to move to the 7th rank. It is a draw (and this is what happened in the game).
1... Re5? 2. Kd6 Re6 3. Kd7
White's king is blocking the rook, and Black's king is no longer in the stalemate position. If Black sacrifices the rook right now, White can just capture it. White wins.
Of course, Black must stay vigilant until the end. The idea you can see here is called: the Crazy Rook.
Lessons from this game to remember
If you have the advantage, you cannot lose focus – the game is not over until there is checkmate.
If you are losing in the endgame with few pieces left, try to arrange a stalemate. Sacrifice your pieces (except one; the stronger piece is better), then move your king into the stalemate position, and finally, sacrifice the last piece.
Chess is not just about material but also about creativity and calculation.
Photo by Rahul Pabolu on Unsplash
