Games - Rook and pawn versus rook

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	Games - Rook and pawn versus rook

The chess endgame of a rook and pawn versus rook is of fundamental importance, and has been widely studied. Endings with rooks and pawns are the most common type to occur in games, occurring in about 10% of all games (Emms, 1999:6). Rook and pawn endings with more pawns have the potential of being reduced to this type of endgame. Indeed, an entire 352-page book has been written about this ending: Secrets of Rook Endings by John Nunn. Some complicated wins require more than sixty moves, so the fifty move rule may come into play in competition. The play revolves around whether or not the pawn can be promoted.

A general rule of thumb (with exceptions) is: if the black king can reach the queening square of the pawn, the game is a draw; otherwise it is a win for White (except with a rook pawn, i.e. a- or h-file) (Fine and Benko, 2003:294ff). White can strive for the Lucena position, which is a win. Black can aim for the Philidor position, which is a draw. There are other types of positions to consider too.

Terminology

In the following discussion and positions, assume that the side with the pawn is white. Algebraic chess notation will be used.

Ranks are considered to be counted from that player's side of the board. Thus, "the rook's third rank" would be the third rank counting from that player's side of the board. The ranks for the white pieces correspond to the rank in algebraic notation whereas the ranks for the black pieces is reversed.

In these positions with one pawn, the pawn's file divides the board into a "short side" and a "long side", in which the long side consists of more files than the short side.

Pawns are referred to by the file on which they reside: a rook pawn is on the a- or h-file, a knight pawn is on the b- or g-file, a bishop pawn is on the c- or f-file. A central pawn is a queen pawn or a king pawn, on the d- or e-file.

The black king is on the queening square, the Philidor position

: Main article: Philidor position

Philidor's position illustrates an important drawing technique in this endgame. Black keeps his rook on his third rank to keep the white king from reaching that rank. If White advances the pawn to its sixth rank (Black's third rank), Black moves his rook to the eight (or seventh) rank, and keeps checking the white king from behind. (An exchange of rooks will result in a drawn position, see king and pawn versus king.) See Philidor position for more details. (Fine and Benko, 2003:294)

There are three errors that Black must avoid: #Immobilizing the rook #Allowing the king to be driven away from the queening square #Playing the king to the wrong side

Philidor's defense can also be used with the black rook on the fourth rank, if White's king and pawn have not reached that rank. If this defense is used, the black king should be on the second rank. The principle is the same: Black keeps his rook on the fourth rank, keeping the white king from advancing to that rank. If the pawn advances to that rank, Black moves the rook to the eighth rank and checks the king from behind.

King in front of pawn, can't reach Philidor position

Sometimes the defender's king is in front of the pawn, but the rook can't get to its third rank to reach the Philidor position. The diagram shows such a position.

The defensive technique depends on which file the pawn resides. A rook pawn always draws. With a knight pawn, a passive defense (getting the rook on its first rank) draws whereas an active defense (attaching the pawn from behind with the rook) fails. For a bishop pawn or central pawn, the situation is reversed: an active defense draws but a passive defense fails (Mednis, 1982:15-19; Dvoretsky, 2003:142; Ward, 2004:37-42).

The black king is cut off from the pawn's file, the Lucena position

When the black king is cut off from the pawn's file the outcome depends on where the black king is in relation to the pawn.

Black king is cut off from the pawn

Black's king is often cut off from the pawn along a file.

If the pawn is a rook pawn, the position is a draw.

If the pawn is on the fifth rank (or sixth or seventh rank) with its king near, and the black king is cut off from the pawn's file, White wins.

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