Exercise 3.1Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
3
Practical Rook Endgames · Kapilash Chess Academy
Cutting Off the King
Ranks and files as walls
In this lesson you will learn
- How a rook cuts off the defending king along a file or rank
- Why two files usually decide R+P vs R
- Cutting off along a rank in front of the pawn
- Combining the cut-off with the king march
Every board on this page is live. Move the pieces by tapping or dragging, click any move in the lines to see that position, and press ↺ to start again.
3.1 The Rook as a Wall
In R+P vs R the attacker's first task is to keep the defending king away from the pawn. A rook on a file between the king and the pawn builds a wall. If the defending king is cut off by two or more files, the attacker usually wins: the king and pawn advance together and reach a Lucena position.
Diagram 3.1White to move
Example 3.1 · Cut off and advance
Black's king is on the edge, and the white rook on d6 shields the king along the sixth rank.
1.g6! — the pawn advances while the black king is far from the queening square. When the checks come, the rook interposes on f6 and the pawn reaches g7. A rook that shields the king and cuts off the enemy king at the same time is the ideal setup.
Diagram 3.2White to move
Example 3.2 · The king in front of the pawn
Black's king is cut off on the h-file. White's king must come back to support the pawn.
1.♔g7! starts the walk back. With the black king cut off, White can afford to bring the king to the pawn first. The rule: first cut off, then bring the king, then push the pawn.
Remember
- Cut off the defending king with your rook.
- Two files of cut-off usually win R+P vs R.
- First cut off, then bring the king, then push the pawn.
- A rook can shield your king and cut off the enemy king at once.
Exercises · Lesson 3
Every exercise has been checked with a chess engine: exactly one move keeps the best result. Find it and play it on the board.
Exercise 3.2Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 3.3Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 3.4Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 3.5Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 3.6Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 3.7Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 3.8Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 3.9Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.
Exercise 3.10Find the move
White to move
White to move and win.