Puzzles XXVI
Rook and pawn versus rook
In a rook endgame it is not always possible to promote a pawn into queen, especially if the king of the weaker side is ahead of the pawn.
The most dangerous pawns are central ones, then - the marginal ones.
There is a rule: It is best to keep the rook behind your own or someone else's passed pawn.
Let's take a look at some typical winning techniques and defense methods that can be encountered in rook endgames.
1. Technique "Rook`s retreat"
With the help of checks, the black rook does not allow the white king to get close to the pawn. But the white rook cannot leave the corner without losing a pawn.
In such positions the following rule applies: The weaker side needs to keep its king on the pre-promotion line, on the fields “g” and “b”. In that case - draw.
Now try Your luck in exercises:
1. Black to move. Win
2. White to move. Win
3. Black to move. Draw
4. White to move. Draw
5. White to move. Win
6. White to move. Win
7. Black to move. Win
8. Black to move. Win
2. Technique "Construction a bridge (overlapping)"
Building a bridge - one of the main ways to promote pawns into queens when they reach the promoting rank.
To do this, you need to perform three steps:
1) use checks to push back the weaker side`s king away from the pawn;
2) move the rook to the 4th rank;
3) bring your king out of hiding.
Note that in this position White has another way to win
When Black moves, the position is drawn
Now try Your luck in exercises:
1. White to move. Win
2. White to move. Win
3. Black to move. Win
4. White to move. Draw
5. White to move. Draw
6. Black to move. Draw
3. Technique "Draw "by Philidor""
This method of achieving a draw is named after its discoverer - the famous French chess player 18th century François-André Danican Philidor.
He demonstrated a simple way to achieve a draw in a rook endgame when the passed pawn is on 5th horizontal.
Method of defence: Until the pawn steps on the 6th line (if the pawn is black, then, accordingly, on the 3rd), the rook of the weakest side should not allow the enemy king to enter this horizontal, i.e., they themselves should stand on the 6th horizontal. But as soon as the pawn steps on the 6th rank, the rook must immediately step back and give continuous checks, not allowing the opponent`s pawn to promote.
There is a rule: Until the passed pawn crosses the 6th rank, the weakest side must be kept on this horizontal his rook, without letting sopponent`s king go ahead. In that case - a draw.
Now try Your luck in exercises:
1. White to move. Draw
2. Black to move. Draw
3. White to move. Win
4. Black to move. Win
5. White to move. Win
6. Black to move. Draw
