rooks on the seventh...

A simple study from Pachman's Modern Chess Strategy about the power of rooks on the seventh...

white to play and win:

Nice - back and forth a bit though 

What's the idea after 3. ... Ke8

Check the move list, it's there.

4. Rxc7 Bc5 doesn't convince me

What am I missing? 1 Rf8#......

Ah, I'm missing the Black Rook. Carry on, I'll get my coat.....

Black's Rookie on the other side of the rank

Very interesting... Pachman doesn't consider that move (and neither did I)... is it a refutation?

I think you put the eye-patch over the good eye!

Good puzzle

nice, I got it all but kinda gives it away being back and forth

Heinzie, after 5. Rxc7 Bc5, white has the simple 6. Rh8#.  The example is sound, I'm pretty sure.  Black's own pawn on d4 blocks the more effective 5 ... Bd4.

it's 4.Rxc7 Bc5 5.Rh8+ Bf8 ... the Bishop interposing on that mate is the point of Bc5.

Someone put this thing in an engine and tell me if white has an answer for Bc5... I'm going to play basketball or I'd do it myself... my guess is that Heinzie has refuted the diagram... I've found some other lines in Pachman's book that fell to analysis. (Doesn't bother me, honestly. Still a very good book!)

Okay, my mistake.  I missed that we were talking about the Ke8 line.  I'm using chesslab.com's engine, which doesn't seem too strong, but with its help, here is what I came up with.  It, interestingly, thinks that after Ke8 white has about a 4 pawn advantage.  However, after Ke8 Rxc7?? Bc5, black's advantage is substantial.  Here is what we (and apparently Pachman) missed: an intermediate move!

Ahhh! Beautiful! Bringing the King back to f8 defuses Bc5! Honestly engines get a bad rap -- yes, they play some ugly weird moves sometimes, but they find some beautiful resources too. I mean I feel like that engine line has taught me something useful and valuable about this position that Pachman failed to note. Goodfind, honorflamingo!