Rook against pawn — one square too far

Draw White to move · Rook endgames · Difficulty about Elo 1100

The plan

The same pawn structure as in the sister lesson, only the white king stands a single square further back — and that costs the whole point. The rook cannot stop the pawn; it can only occupy the back rank and so guard the queening square. The king hurries over and arrives too late: the pawn promotes, the rook takes the fresh queen and is itself taken — bare kings, a draw. Two traps lurk here that can cost this half point: the rook must NOT place itself next to the pawn (there the pawn captures it on promoting), and it must not leave the back rank (then the pawn promotes unhindered).

Rule of thumb: if the king arrives too late, the rook is only change for the pawn — and change buys half a point, not a whole one.

Why this level: Same picture, one square too far — the rook gives itself up

The solution, move by move

1. 1. Rd1 The rook takes up the back rank. From there it guards b1, the queening square — that is all it can achieve in this endgame.
2. 1… Ka2
3. 2. Kd5 The king hurries over. The path is too long, but it cannot hurt.
4. 2… b2 The pawn goes to the seventh rank. Now it gets tricky: the rook has to hold the back rank and still must not come within reach of the pawn.
5. 3. Kc4 So a waiting move with the KING. Rook moves to a1, b1 or c1 would lose here, and it may not leave the back rank either — both traps sit beside it as sidelines.
   Sideline 3. Rc1 The first trap: next to the pawn the rook is not safe — on a1, b1 and c1 it stands within capturing range. 3… bxc1=Q The pawn takes it and promotes in the process. Half a point has turned into a lost game. 4. Kd4 Qc6
   Sideline 3. Rd3 The second trap: the rook leaves the back rank and gives up the queening square. 3… b1=Q The pawn promotes unhindered. Queen against rook is lost — the in-between check changes nothing about that. 4. Rd2+ Kb3
6. 3… b1=Q
7. 4. Rxb1 The only move that still holds — and this is exactly what the rook stood on the back rank the whole game for.
8. 4… Kxb1 Bare kings, a draw. One rook up, and still only half a point: the king was missing a single square.

More in Rook endgames

• Rook against pawn — the king catches it White wins
• Cutting off on the file White wins
• Short side, long side Draw
• Building the bridge — Lucena, second method White wins
• Vancura — draw against the rook pawn Draw
• Frontal defence — the rook in front of the pawn Draw