Rook endings arise more often than any other ending, and a few habits settle most of them: keep the rook active, put it behind passed pawns, cut the enemy king off and know when a rook beats a pawn. These habits also prepare the positions on the next page, Rook Endings Key Positions.
Verdict White wins a pawn.
Use the rook to attack pawns and the enemy king. A passive rook only defends and gives the opponent time.
White invades the seventh rank with ♖c7. The rook attacks the pawns on b7 and g7 at the same time, and the black rook on a8 is too passive to defend both.
1. ♖c7 ♚f8 2. ♖xb7 a5 3. ♖b5 a4 4. a3 ♚g8 5. ♖b4
Staying passive. After 1. ♖c4 the rook is safe, but Black plays ... ♜d8 and the advantage shrinks to almost nothing.
White to move. Find the active plan.
White wins a pawn.
1. ♖d7 ♜e6 2. ♖xb7 ♜a6 3. a3
The rook goes to d7 and attacks b7 and f7 at once. Black cannot defend both, so ♖xb7 wins a pawn.
Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:
r3k3/pp4pp/8/8/8/8/P4PPP/2R1K3 w - - 0 1Verdict White wins. With the rook in front of the pawn, the same position is a draw.
Place the rook behind a passed pawn, yours or the opponent's. From behind, the rook keeps its full range while the pawn advances and supports it all the way to the queening square.
The white rook stands on f1, behind the passed pawn on f5. As the pawn advances with f6, the rook still sees it, and the black rook can only check from the side.
1. f6 ♜g8 2. ♔d5 ♚d7 3. ♖e1 ♜g5+ 4. ♖e5 ♜g1 5. ♖e7+ ♚d8 6. ♔e6
Putting the rook in front of the pawn. With the rook on f8 instead of f1, the pawn blocks its own rook and the position is only a draw.
White to move. The black pawn on d2 is about to queen. Save the game.
Draw. The rook belongs behind the pawn, for the defender too.
1. ♖d7 ♚c4 2. ♔e3 ♜h2 3. ♖xd2 ♜h6 4. ♖c2+ ♚b3
♖d7 attacks the pawn from behind. Other moves, such as ♖h1, lose.
Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:
8/2k5/8/5P2/2K5/8/6r1/5R2 w - - 0 1Verdict White wins. Without the cut-off, the same position is a draw.
Cut the enemy king off from the pawn along a file or a rank, so that the pawn can advance with the help of its own king.
The black king stands on h7. The rook goes to the g-file with ♖g2, and now the king cannot cross it to reach the pawn on e4. The white king and the pawn walk up the board while the rook holds the cut-off.
1. ♖g2 ♜b1 2. e5 ♜f1+ 3. ♔e6 ♚h6 4. ♔e7 ♜d1 5. e6 ♜e1 6. ♔f7 ♜f1+ 7. ♔e8
Not cutting the king off. After 1. ♖d2 the black king returns with ... ♚g7, and the position is a draw.
White to move. Find the winning plan.
White wins. The rook cuts the black king off along the b-file.
1. ♖b2 ♜a1 2. d6 ♜d1+ 3. ♔c5 ♜c1+ 4. ♔d5 ♜d1+ 5. ♔c6 ♜c1+ 6. ♔d7
♖b2 stops the king from reaching the pawn. The natural 1. ♔e5 lets the king come back and only draws.
Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:
8/1r5k/8/5K2/4P3/8/4R3/8 w - - 0 1Verdict The rook wins when the defending king is too far from the pawn, and draws when the king is close enough to protect it.
Stop the pawn and win it. Check first, so that the king is driven away, then take the pawn with the rook.
The pawn on f2 is one step from queening, but the black king on c2 is too far to protect it. ♖e2+ drives the king away, and ♖xf2 wins the pawn without letting the king attack the rook.
1. ♖e2+ ♚c3 2. ♖xf2 ♚d4 3. ♖f3 ♚d5 4. ♔f5
Checking when the king can take the rook. In the exercise position, 1. ♖e2+?? 1... ♚xe2 and Black wins.
White to move. The black king is one square closer. Win or draw?
Draw. The rook can only be given for the pawn.
1. ♖f3 ♚e2 2. ♖e3+ ♚f1 3. ♔e4 ♚g2 4. ♖f3 f1=♛ 5. ♖xf1 ♚xf1
The best White can do is ♖f3, and after the pawn queens the rook takes it and only the kings are left.
Copy the position into any board or engine to practice it:
8/8/8/8/5K2/4R3/2k2p2/8 w - - 0 1