Our next endgame, from the Asian Youth Girls Championship, gives us an opportunity to explore some basics of positions with a rook and a pawn against a rook.
We pick up the action here, in a drawn rook and pawn endgame. White has two ways to draw this position.
The first way is the Philidor Defense: 57.Rh3. White keeps the king on the queening square and the rook on the third rank, preventing Black’s king from crossing it. At some point, Black will push the pawn to create safe passage for his king. For example 57…Rf2 58.Rg3 b3
At that point, the black king will no longer be able to hide in front of the pawn when it is checked from behind. (Before the pawn went to b3, Ra8+ would have been met by …Kb3, hiding in front of the b-pawn). This is White’s cue to send the rook to the 8th rank and deliver checks from behind. 59.Rg8 Ka3
Black threatens mate, but it is easily parried: 60.Ra8+ Kb4 61.Rb8+ Kc4 62.Rc8+ Black has no good way to avoid the endless checks, so the game is drawn.
Returning to the original position:
White played 57.Rg8. This does not lose the game, but it suggests that White is unfamiliar with either drawing method: The Philidor Defense, which we have already seen, or the Passive Defense, which we will see soon. 57…Ka3 although the game is still drawn, this is a great practical attempt. We will see how this move wins against a ‘pass’ move by White.
58.Rg7? Re1+ 59.Kc2 b3+! Is the point: The pawn advances with check.
60.Kc3 Rc1+ 61.Kd2 b2 wins for Black. It’s actually not over yet; White’s rook can check the black king in front of the pawn. Then Black will use the Lucena Method that we will discuss in a future post. Returning to the position in the game:
58.Rg1! Shows the second way to draw this endgame: Passive Defense. When the attacker has a rook and knight pawn vs. rook, the defender can draw by putting the king on the queening square and the rook on the first rank. The attacker does not have room to give a check on the other side of the white king, because it is too close to the edge of the board. Passive defense only works against a knight pawn and a rook pawn. Against other pawns, there would be room for the attacking rook to get ‘around’ the defending king. 58…b3 59.Rh1 Rb2+
60.Ka1 Ra2+ 61.Kb1 shows that there is nothing Black can do to make progress. Advancing the pawn would even lose the rook to a check from the third rank! Returning to the game position:
58.Ra8+? This is a bad time to check from behind, because the black king will shelter in front of the b4 pawn. Then there will be no way to stop Black from checking on the first rank, evicting the white king and then preparing the advance of the pawn. 58…Kb3 59.Kc1
Now Black has a clear winning plan. . . that they don’t follow! 59…Re1+ would chase the white king off the first rank, where it can help block the pawn. 60.Kd2 Rb1 prepares to advance the pawn further.
61.Rc8 Ka2 62.Ra8+ Kb2 White really can’t do much other than wait. Black will push the pawn and eventually use the Lucena Method, discussed in a later post. Returning to the game:
59…Rc2+ not spoiling the win, but showing a lack of familiarity with the plan. 60.Kb1
60…Rg2 followed by a check from the first rank would get back on track. Instead, 60…Rc4? gives away the win, since Black has the chance to set up the passive defense. 61.Rh8 Ka3 (61…Rc3!? threatens to move the rook away from the king on the third rank, setting up a first rank check. 62.Rh1=)
62.Rh1 would be the simplest draw here, setting up the passive defense. 62.Ra8+ because Black’s rook is so badly placed (too close to White’s king, not ready to check on the first rank) this move still draws. 62…Kb3 63.Rh8 Rc3 64.Rg8
Here the drama was cut short when the players agreed to a draw! If Black moved the rook along the third rank, for example 64…Rh3, they would have forced White to find the passive defense with 65.Rg1. An eventful ending, with a couple major takeaways:
1) The standard way to draw a rook and pawn vs. rook position is the Philidor Position: The king goes on the queening square and the rook covers the third rank. The moment the attacker pushes the pawn to the third rank to create safe passage for their king, the defending rook goes to deliver checks from behind.
2) Against a rook pawn or knight pawn, Passive Defense also draws: The king stands on the queening square while the rook protects the first rank from checks.
3) If the defender cannot, or does not, set up either of these, the winning method is to advance the pawn to the second rank with the attacking king in front of it. After that, building a bridge (also known as the “Lucena Position”) is a topic for another time.
If you are interested in further exploring rook and pawn vs. rook endgames, I recommend studying the relevant examples in Silman’s Complete Endgame Course or (more advanced) 100 Endgames You Must Know.