[blind-chess] Chess Article #56: The Rook and Pawn Versus Rook Endgame (Part 3)
- From: Roderick Macdonald <rmacd@xxxxxxxx>
- To: Blind Chess Mailing List <blind-chess@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:31:05 -1000 (HST)
Chess Article #56:
The Rook and pawn versus rook endgame
Adapted and Condensed from
Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
Part Three of Three Parts
++5. Rook pawn
Endings with a rook pawn arise frequently because they are more
likely to be the last remaining pawn (de la Villa 2008:145). If the
pawn is a rook pawn, the chances of a draw are much greater. Even
the equivalent of the Lucena position is no guarantee of success
(it depends on the location of the white rook and who is to move)
(Emms 2008:25). These endings are more likely to be a draw because
of two reasons (1) the pawn can protect the king from checks from
the rear only, and not from the side, and (2) the edge of the board
reduces the king's mobility in trying to support the pawn (Averbakh
& Kopayev 1987:150).
With a rook pawn, usually in actual play the defending rook or king
is able to get in front of the pawn. If the defending king gets in
front of the pawn, the game is a draw. If the defending rook gets
in front of the pawn, the result depends on which king arrives on
the scene first (de la Villa 2008:145).
The attacking king or rook may be in front of the pawn.
++5.a King in front of pawn
Diagram 22:
White: King at a8, Rook at d2, Pawn at a7
Black: King at e7, Rook at b1
White has a rook pawn. Black draws.
In diagram #22, the only way for White to make progress is to get
his rook to b8, but this allows the black king to get to the c-file
and draw.
1. Rh2 Kd7
2. Rh8 Kc7!
3. Rb8 Rc1
4. Rb2 Rc3!
This is the simplest way for Black. Now there is no way to force
the black king away from the c-file.
5. Rb7+ Kc8
6. Rg7 Rc1
and Black draws.
Diagram #23:
White: King at 18, Rook at e3, Pawn at a7
Black: King at f7, Rook at b1
Rook pawn, black king is cut off far away, White wins.
If the black king is cut off by four or more files, White wins, as
in this diagram:
1. Rc3! Ke7
2. Rc8 Kd6
3. Rb8 Ra1
4. Kb7 Rb1+
5. Kc8 Rc1+
6. Kd8 Rh1
7. Rb6+ Kc5
8. Rc6+! Kd5
9. Ra6
and White wins (Emms 2008:25-27).
++5.b Rook in front of pawn
Diagram 24:
from de la Villa, position 10. 22
White: King at g2, Rook at a8, Pawn at a7
Black: King at f7, Rook at a1
Black would draw if the king gets to the indicated squares
In this position (Diagram #24), the black king needs to get to one
of the marked squares in order to draw. If he gets to one of the
squares marked with "x" (b6, b7, c6 and c7), the king can move next
to the pawn and the rook can capture the pawn for a draw.
Otherwise, the king needs to stay on the squares marked with dots
(g7 and h7). The reason is that if the black king is on another
rank, the white rook can check and then the pawn promotes and wins.
For example, if the black king were on f6 instead, with White to
move, 1. Rf8+ followed by 2. a8=Q wins. Also, the black king needs
to be on g7 or h7 rather than d7, e7, or f7. If it were White's
move in this position, White wins by
1. Rh8 Rxa7
(otherwise the pawn promotes and wins)
2. Rh7+
skewering the rook (de la Villa 2008:145-46). If the black king is
on g7 or h7 and the white king approaches the pawn (to protect it
while the rook moves out of the way), the black rook will check
from behind and the king has no cover from the checks.
++5.b1 Vancura position
Diagram 25:
Study by Josef Vancura (1898-1921), published in 1924
White: King at c4, Rook at a8, Pawn at a6
Black: King at g7, Rook at f6
Vancura position. Black draws.
The Vancura Position (see diagram #25) is a drawing position with
a rook and rook's pawn versus a rook, when the pawn is not beyond
its sixth rank, and the stronger side's rook is in front of the
pawn (Dvoretsky 2006:155). Black's rook attacks the pawn from the
side from some distance away, while keeping the white king from
finding cover from checks. Black keeps attacking the pawn (Emms
2008:28). Black's king must be on the opposite side of his rook as
the pawn to not block the attacks. Also, Black's king must be near
corner on the opposite side of the board if the pawn advances to
its seventh rank so the white rook can not check the black king and
then support the advance of the pawn, or sacrifice its pawn to
skewer Black's king and rook on the seventh rank, as in the section
above.
1. Kb5
(Protecting the pawn in order to free the rook to move. If 1. a7
Ra6! 2. Kb5 Ra1 3. Kb6 Rb1+ 4. Kc7 Rc1+ 5. Kd7 Ra1, and White can
not win. Note that if Black's king was on g6 there would follow 2.
Rg8+ with 3. a8=Q, and if it was on f7 White wins with 3. Rh8! Rxa7
4. Rh7+.)
1. ... Rf5+!
2. Kc6 Rf6+
(an important square for the rook)
3. Kd5 Rb6
(Keeping the attack on the pawn.)
4. Ke5
(If 4. a7 then 4. ... Ra6 draws.)
4. ... Rc6
5. Ra7+ Kg6
6. Kd5 Rf6
7. Kc5 Kh6
8. Kb5 Rf5+
9. Kb6 Rf6+
10. Kb7 Rf7+
11. Kb8 Rf6
etc.
or
3. ... Rf5+
4. Ke6 Rf6+
(an important square for the rook)
5. Ke5 Rb6
6. Kd5 Rf6
7. Ra7+ Kg6
8. Ra8 Kg7
and White can not win. The white king can not advance because of
the checks and the pawn can not advance because the black rook gets
behind the pawn (Seirawan 2003:88-89).
The Vancura defense was used in a 2008 game between Magnus Carlsen
and Vassily Ivanchuk.
++6. Most common rook endgame
Diagram #26:
White: King anywhere, Rook at a8, Pawn at a7
Black: King at g7, Rook at a1
White king anywhere, Black to move draws.
Diagram #27:
White: King anywhere, Rook at a7, Pawn at a6
Black: King at g8, Rook at f6
White king anywhere, Black to move draws.
Diagram #28:
White: King at a7, Rook at a8, Pawn at a6
Black: King at f7, Rook at b1
White wins with either side to move.
The most common type of rook endgame is with a rook and rook pawn
versus a rook, with the rook in front of its pawn. In the third
diagram (#28), White wins easily. If it is Black's move:
1. ... Ke7
2. Rb8 R-any
3. Kb7 Rb1+
4. Ka8! R-any
5. a7
and White wins. He can force his king out by Kb7 or if the black
rook prevents that by going to the seventh rank, then Rh8 and Kb8
(Purdy 2003:116-17).
++7. Examples from master games
The positions discussed above are somewhat idealized, but they are
fundamental to practical play. Here are some examples of this
endgame from master games.
++7.a Pein-Ward, 1997
Diagram #30:
Pein-Ward
1997 British Championship
Diagram #29:
White: King at f4, Rook at a5
Black: King at d6, Rook at c2, Pawn at c4
Black to move wins
60. ... Re2!
61. Kf3 Re7
62. Kf2 Kc6
63. Kf3 Kb6
64. Rd5 c3
65. Rh5 c2
66. Rh1 Rc7
67. Rc1 Kb5
68. Ke2 Kb4
69. Kd2 Kb3
70. Rh1 Kb2!
0-1
++7.b Ward-Arkell, 1994
Diagram #31:
Ward-Arkell
1994 British Championship
White: King at f6, Rook at a7, Pawn at f5
Black: King at g8, Rook at g4
Black to move, draw
Black can not reach the Philidor position, but still draws.
45. ... Rf4!!
46. Ra8+ Kh7
47. Ke6 Kg7
48. Ra7+ Kf8
49. Kf6 Kg8
50. Ra8+ Kh7
51. Rf8 Ra4!
52. Rf7+ Kg8
53. Re7 Kf8
54. Re6 Ra7
55. Rb6 Rf7+
56. Kg5 Ra7
57. f6 Kf7
=-=
++7.c Kasparov-Kramnik, 2000
Diagram #32:
Kasparov-Kramnik
Braingames World Championship 2000
White: King at g1, Rook at c3, Pawn at g2
Black: King at e6, Rook at h4
White to move, draw.
51. Rf3 Rh5
52. Kf2 Rg5
53. Rf8 Ke5
=-=
++7.d Anand-Shirov, 2004
Diagram #33:
Anand-Shirov, 2004
Anand-Shirov
2004 Wijk an Zee Corus Chess
White: King at d3, Rook at a7, Pawn at a6
Black: King at g7, Rook at h4
Black to move; White wins
53. ... Kf6
54. Kc3 Re4
55. Rh7 Ra4
56. a7
1-0
++7.e Ward-Emms, 1997
Diagram #34:
Ward-Emms
1997
White: King at g4, Rook at c3
Black: King at g6, Rook at b5, Pawn at G5
Black to move, draw
95. ... Rb4+
96. Kg3 Kh5
97. Ra3 Rg4+
98. Kh3 Rh4+
99. Kg3 Rb4
100. Re3 Rb5
101. Ra3 g4
102. Rc3 Kg5
103. Ra3 Rc5
=-=
(Ward 2004:87-92).
++8 Subtle differences
Diagram #35:
Diagram #35:
Nikolay Grigoriev, 1937
White: King at e7, Rook at a1, Pawn at e6
Black: King at g6, Rook at b7
White to move wins
Diagram #36:
Grigoriev, 1937
White: King at e7, Rook at a4, Pawn at e6
Black: King at g6, Rook at b7
White to move, draw
There can be subtle differences in positions that make the
difference between a win and a draw. Two examples of this is shown
in the diagrams (Matanovic 1985:24, 28).
Diagram #37:
Grigoriev, 1937
White: King at e7, Rook at d1, Pawn at e6
Black: King at g7, Rook at b2
Black to move, White wins
Diagram #38:
Siegbert Tarrasch, 1906
White: King at e7, Rook at d1, Pawn at e6
Black: King at g7, Rook at a2
Black to move, draw
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