White to move and win!
Puzzle by Alena, recommended by Yancey Ward
Daily Chess Improvement: Important Endgame Improvement!
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White to move and win!
Puzzle by Alena, recommended by Yancey Ward
White cannot win if he tries to shepherd his a pawn to Queen as black can harass the WK with perpetuals along the ranks. The WK has to play an attacking role and reach f7 without moving or losing the rook. Then Ra8 would enable Rh8+ followed by Rg8 exchanging the BR for the a pawn to Queen. It is to be noted that moving the WK earlier allows BK to reach sixth rank and the BR can give checks from g7 too, and so on. However when WK is in f7 and WR is in a8, BKh6 is not possible due to Rh8 mate.
BR cannot afford to vacate the fifth rank without checks; WRg6 followed by a6 would win easily for White. The WK can then assist the WR in shepherding the pawn to the queening square. The BK also cannot retreat from fifth rank as then lateral checks by BR from sixth rank cannot be supported by the BK
This is the central idea.
So
1. Kd7. Rg7+
2. Ke8. Rg8+
3. Kf7. Rg5.
4. Ra8.
Now
A- 4….Kh6. 5. Rh8#
B- 4….Kh4. 5. Rh8+. Kg4/3. 6. Rg8 pinning and exchanging the BR and queening the pawn.
C- 4….Kg4. 5. Rg8 pinning and exchanging the BR,
D- 4….BR along g file..Rg1-6. 5. Rh8+ Followed by 6. Rg8 exchanges the BR.
E- 4….Rf5+. 5. Ke6. Rg5. 6. a6. Rg6+. 7. Kf7. Rg5. 8. a7. Rf5+. 9. Ke6. Ra5. 10. Ra8+ and 11. a8=Q
F- 4….Rc5. 5. a6. Rc7+. 6. Ke6. Rc6+. 7. Kd7. and the BR has to retreat. The WK will chase the BR till the BR runs out of check and gives way. Eg., Rg6. 8. a7. Rg7+. 9. Ke6. Rg6+. 10. Kf7. Ra6. 11. Rh8+. And 12. a8=Q
The same principle applies when BR checks along a file, eg., b and c. Then the WK walks down the file to b2 or c2 when the BR has to give way for advancing the a pawn and finally queening.
Can Black draw against 1.Ra8? I can’t see how.
K.V.,
1. Kd7? Rg7!
2. Ke8 Rg5!
You are walking the rook down in the wrong manner in the rest of the line, also. Time is of the essence here, and the sort of position you want to create as a first step is the rook on a8 and the pawn on a6- the a7 square must be left open for the king at critical juncture. What you want to do after that is to force the black rook to the a-file. Think about it and you will find the right way to walk the rook down the first time- it will look odd when you find it but it makes perfect sense.
Basically, as a first weigh station, this is the position you are trying to create:
R7/5k2/P7/8/1K6/8/8/r7 w – – 0 1
A hole is left for the white king to hide at a certain point at a7. Black, on the other hand is trying to get his king into the action slowly but surely while harassing the white king as much as possible. With best play, black comes up a move short eventually- a move like 1. Kd7 loses that tempo right at the start.
And to just finish a bit with the 1.Kd7 line:
1. Kd7? Rg7!
2. Ke8 Rg5!
3. Kf7 Rc5
4. Ra8 Kh6! (the only move)
5. a6 Rc6! (another only move)
And now draw should be coming into view; lets suppose white pushes the a-pawn:
6. a7
Obviously, the threat is a check on the king from h8 and queening the pawn, and black can’t play Kh7 to guard against this since white will sacrifice at h8 to win quickly. The only move is the check from c7:
6. ………….Rc7
7. Ke6
Of course, white can prevent a check with 7.Ke8, but this also prevents white from checking the black king with the rook, so it is a wash:
7. ………….Rh7! and it should be obvious this is a draw.
1.Ra8 Rg8+
2.Kb7 Rg7+
3.Kc6 Rg6+
4.Kd5 Rg5+
5.Ke4 Rg4+
6.Kf3 Rg6
7.Kf4 Rf6+
8.Ke5 Rf1
9.a6 Ra1
10.Kd6 Kg6
11.Kc6 Kf6
12.Kb6 Rb1+ (12… Ke6 13.a7 Kd7 14.Rh8 Rb1+ 16.Kc5 and wins)
13.Ka5 Ke7 14.a7 Kd7 15.Rh8 Ra1+ 16.Kb6 Rb1+ 17.Kc5 and wins
wrong at move 7 and maybe 6 as well.
1.Ra8 Rg8+
2.Kb7 Rg7+
3.Kc6 Rg6+
4.Kd5 Rg5+
5.Ke4 Rg4+
6.Kf3 Rg1
7.a6 Ra1
8.a7 looks winning to me.
6… Rg7
7.a6 Kg5
8.Ke4 Kf6
9.Ra6+ is maybe good enough.
6… Rg5, I didn’t think about the WR moving to protect the pawn from the side.
James- move 6 is wrong. The rest of the line up to that point is ok, I think, though not the most tenacious defense black can put up, but still challenging for white to overcome, and you have the right idea about how to deal with it, but the white king cannot go to f3 in this line (or even e3, but d3 is ok)- he gets cut off below the 4th rank. Let’s just play through it a bit to see why this fails:
1.Ra8 Rg8
2.Kb7 Rg7
3.Kc6 Rg6
4.Kd5 Rg5
5.Ke4 Rg4
6.Kf3? Ra4!
When I publish my full analysis tomorrow, I will discuss why black has to play the rook to the a-file here, and in the main line. Now, for white to get the king back over the fourth rank, he will have to traverse 4 moves just to get to b3, and this loss of time is fatal to white’s winning chances:
7. Ke3 Kg6 (Kh6 is ok, too)
8. Kd3 Kg7!
Here, Kf7, a natural looking move to many inexperienced players, will be a fatal error since white will then regain a tempo by playing 9.a6 followed by 10.a7 and the black king will have to retreat to g7, if he still can, due to the threat of Rh8 and the pawn on a7 can’t be taken due to the looming skewer. It is in fact this very threat that keeps the black king at bay in so many of the variations that arise from the initial position. With 8. …Kg7, black guards the h8 square hindering white’s options. Continuing:
9. Kc3 Rf4! (the only move, and I will write about it tomorrow)
Black’s last two moves could transposed, I think. White can’t make progress by going back to attack the rook which can just retreat back to a4, so white must try to push the pawn, or move the rook somewhere. Since I am pressed for time tonight, I will just follow the line where white pushes the pawn first:
10. a6 Rf6 (Rf3 with check is probably ok, too)
11. a7 Ra6 (again, Rf3 is probably ok based on a move count, so is Rc6)
And this is obviously a draw, right? The black rook can’t be driven off the a-file, and the white rook has no where to go that doesn’t lose the pawn if black just leaves the king on g7.
I am going to show you right few moves at moves 6-8, and let you go with that if you want:
1.Ra8 Rg8
2.Kb7 Rg7
3.Kc6 Rg6
4.Kd5 Rg5
5.Ke4 Rg4
6.Kf5
Here, white can play Ke5 and even Kd3 and still win, but the latter is longer by a couple of moves at least. We will just continue the theme of harassment, especially since it is black’s best option at this juncture:
6. ………..Rg5
7. Kf6!
White can waste a move here with 7.Kf4, but this is the line to follow now given black has been tardy bringing the king up to at least h6. Continuing:
8. ………..Rg6
9. Kf7!
And the harassment must end for a move. Now, James, I leave this line to you.
1.Ra8 Rg8
2.Kb7 Rg7
3.Kc6 Rg6
4.Kd5 Rg5
5.Ke4 Rg4
6.Kf5 Rg5
7.Kf6 Rg6
8.Kf7
Now if the R moves along the g file White can play Rh8+ followed by Rg8 exchanging rooks.
8… Rc6
9.Re8 Rc5
10.a6 Ra5
11.Re6 should win
9… Rh6
10.Rb8 Rh7+
11.Kf6 Rh6+
12.Kf5 Rh7
13.a6 Rf7+
14.Ke6 Ra7
15.Rb6 and wins
The moves in the last sequence have move numbers one higher than they should have, it’s another continuation after 8.Kf7.
Sorry, James, I didn’t see your comment yesterday, so I am a bit tardy in replying.
I think 9.Re8 is wrong and leads to a draw- the rook has moved too far towards the king side- Rb8 or Rd8 are ok with the black rook on c6. Here is the problem. From the position reached in your comment after 8. ….Rc6- (R7/5K2/2r5/P6k/8/8/8/8 w)
9. Re8? Kg5! (I think Kg4 is good, too- one sq. closer Qside)
Now, what is going to be white’s plan? White can play the rook down the board and put it behind the pawn, but that doesn’t work here as I have learned by hard experience:
10. Re4 Kf5!
11. Ra4 Ke5!
12. a6
Probably black has other drawing moves at both 10 and 11, but I pick this line because it is more definitive in why white’s plan is busted already. Continuing:
12. …………Rc7!
13. Ke8
If Kf8, the white king is out of the action totally. Continuing:
13. …………Ra7 (here, Kd6 should also draw)
14. Kd8
Trying to beat the black king to the Q-side, but it is a clear draw:
14. …………Kd6 (threatening Ra8#)
15. Kc8 Kc6
16. Kb8 Rd7 (or any square beyond c7)
White can’t advance the pawn without getting mated, and can’t play Kc8 either for the same reason. Checks from c4 just allow Kb6 again threatening mate.
Here is what happens if white simply plays the natural 9. Rb8 from the following position (R7/5K2/2r5/P6k/8/8/8/8 w):
9. Rb8 Kg5
It is likely that Ra6 is the best move for black here, and I will discuss it in a moment, but I want show why Rb8 is different fundamentally to Re8 in comparison to the defense black employed above. Continuing:
10. Rb6!
This forces black to relent the sixth rank, and eventually the c-file. I am not sure of black’s best defense here- I am going to have to consult the tablebase to be sure, but I would take a guess that Rc7 is it, but it won’t be a lot worse or better than a retreat down the board to put the rook behind the pawn, but white’s king is too far ahead of black’s now for it really matter, which is the main point here. Continuing with black’s 10th move:
10. ………….Rc7 (if Rc1 11.a6 Ra1 12.Ke7+-)
11. Ke6 and I think it should be obvious that white wins this now- the rook is off the a-file, the white king will reach the Q-side long before the black king can do anything about it. so, lets go back to your original 9th move for white to show why this same plan no longer is effective.
From the position R7/5K2/2r5/P6k/8/8/8/8 w
9. Re8? Kg5!
10. Re6 Rc7! (I will eat my hat if there is another move for black)
11. Re7 Rc6! (keeps the white king off of e6)
12. Ke8 Kf6 (or Kf4/f5, and Ra6)
And this will end up in the same spot as above if white plays the rook down the board to get behind the pawn.
I would encourage you to try to make a win out of 9.Re8/9.Rf8/9.Rh8. However, I think all of them lose too much time. 9.Rb8 is the right move, though white should be able to play 9.Rd8 followed by 10.Ke7 (or even play 9.Ke7 now that I think about it), followed by 11.Rd6 to win similarly to that with 9.Rb8.
This is a tough ending for white to win, and a tough ending for black to defend effectively to make white to work the hardest to pull off. Indeed, if you shift the black pieces and the white rook and pawn forward one square each to the 6th and 7th ranks leaving the white king on c8, the position is drawn with either player to move. In addition, were black to have to move in the current position, he could draw with 1. ….Rg8. My goal here is to try to make the methods, for both offense and defense in such positions, more understandable and memorable.
Having played this kind of ending on multiple occasions over the years in online chess, R+P vs R with the pawn on the a- or h-file, and from both sides, I note that many players make the same errors over and over. From the present position, I would actually expect most players that aren’t of at least 1800+ strength to find the right first move here- 1.Ra8- but that they will then hastily push the pawn all the way to a7 prematurely. For example, and this is going into a lot of detail!
1. Ra8! Kh6
Here, black defends by the coming threat- 2.a6/3.a7/4.Kmove/5.Rh8+ by bringing the king eventually to h7/g7 if necessary to prevent white from checking from the 8th rank and subsequently queening the pawn. Black must always ensure that his king is not still on h5 when white can play a7- there isn’t enough time to get to h7/g7 to prevent the deadly check, and even being on the 6th rank isn’t enough unless the black rook is already behind the pawn since white is perfectly willing to sacrifice the rook at h8 to get time to queen at a8. Continuing from moves 1 above:
2. a6!
This is, again, an only move to win for white. White is making the defense more constrained for black. White is basically holding two threats over black’s head- a7 followed by a check from the 8th rank if the black king ventures back to the 5th rank, and the same threat if the black king remains on the 6th rank without having put the rook on the a-file behind the pawn- white is willing to trade the rook in order to queen the pawn. In addition, white is also threatening to push a7 even when the black rook is behind the the pawn if the black king ventures past f7 to e7- with the pawn on a7, white can transfer the rook to h8 and skewer the king and rook if black takes at a7. From the position after white’s 2nd move, black’s longest defense is going to be the start of the harassing checks. Continuing below with black’s 2nd move:
2. ………….Rg8
3. Kb7 Rg7
4. Kb6 Rg6
This is a critical juncture for white’s plans that I will return to later, but take it as a given for now that white can only make progress here with …
5. Kb5! Rg5
6. Kc4 Rg4
7. Kd5
Every king move wins here for white, but Kd5/d3/c5/c3 all make progress towards the ultimate goal- Kd5 is just the natural looking move to my own eye. Continuing:
7. …………Rg5
8. Ke6
Or Ke4/d4 is same effect. Continuing:
8. …………Rg6
9. Kf5!
Again, I will return to this position later for a more full discussion, but this is white’s only winning move at this point. Continuing:
9. ………….Rg5
10.Kf4
This is the shortest path by a move or two, and I hope it will become clear as to why as we get deeper into the analysis. In any case, this is a critical juncture in the defense. Black no longer has a check available- white has walked the rook down successfully for the first time. In my note to James above, I showed part of the path where white can walk the rook down by putting the king on f7, but this only worked because the black king was still on h5, not h6. I will later show why white can’t do the analogous thing here by getting the white king to f8, but if you think about where the white rook is on a8, it should become clear why the white king won’t want to be on f8. Continuing with black’s 10th move:
10. …………Ra5
For now, just take it as given that this is the longest defense black has. I will return to this point later, but for now, I want to show the main pitfalls that the average player may fall into before addressing the more technically challenging ones to avoid. Now consider the position as it stands here- the white king is cut off below the fifth rank- this might look bad to the eye, but is unavoidable if white wants to win since he must find moves where black can’t check his king. It is different than the line in the comment above where James allowed the white king to get cut off below the fourth rank and ended up in a drawing line. Eventually, I hope a reader can understand the difference in the two situations, but it is a subtle difference, and I will point it out explicitly later.
So what is white’s plan from here after black’s 10th move? As K.V. pointed out in the first comment, white eventually needs to shepherd the pawn forward with the king- or at least threaten to do so, so the king must eventually go back to the queen side to attack the rook to force it to relent control of the fourth rank. Black, on the other hand, has the best defense he could muster- his king is one move from h7/g7 controlling h8/g8 while the pawn is on a6 still with the black rook behind the pawn. To initiate a threat of a check from h8, white would need the pawn on a7, but that is a mistake here as I am going to now show- I did it before in the replay to James:
11.a7?
This mistake I have made in the past. It is a hard move to not make- the natural inclination of a player is going to be to advance the pawn as quickly as possible, but doing so takes away the only square the white king can get a shield from a check rather than walking the rook down. Now white is threatening 12.Rh8+. Black can either put the king on g7 or h7 preventing that since the rook is already behind the pawn attacking it, or black can check from a4- either draws, but for me the natural move for black is to take away the check threat:
11. …………Kg7
Now white is out of options- he must try to attack the rook, but this is hopeless unless black errs:
12. Ke4 Ra4
Here, any rook move from a6 to a1 draws as does Kh7, but I want to show explicitly why cutting the king below the fifth rank no longer matters. Continuing:
13. Kd5 Ra5
14. Kc6 Ra6??
Here, Ra3, Ra2 and Ra1 draw, but Ra6 loses, and it is important to understand why it loses, so we are taking a detour. Continuing:
15. Kb7!
A nasty surprise for black- the rook can’t leave the a-file without allowing white to sacrifice the rook at g8, but any move along the a-file gives white the tempo he needs to get the rook off of a8. Let’s play this out since it is a recurring theme later, and some of white’s maneuvers are important to understand right now. Continuing:
15. …………Ra1 (furthest distance allowed for harassment)
16. Rb8
For me, at least now, this is the natural move since the pawn protects the rook on b8, but white wins with Rc8, Rd8, and Re8, too. However, Rc8 requires another maneuver to avoid a skewer along the c-file and is longer by two moves at minimum than the other three moves. Continuing:
16. ………….Rb1 (all that is left)
17. Kc6 with a decisive edge.
Obviously, white can walk the rook down along the b and c- files and force black to give up the rook for the pawn- all white need do is to keep the king off the a-file on ranks 1-4. So, now let’s back up to black’s 14th move in the present line to see why the other rook moves drew where Ra6 lost. The position, for those who know FEN is: R7/P5k1/2K5/r7/8/8/8/8 b Continuing:
14. ………….Ra3 (Ra2, Ra1 also ok)
15. Kb5 Ra2 (Ra1, Kh7 ok, too)
16. Kb4 Ra6 (Ra1, Kh7 ok, too)
17. Kb5 Ra3
And it should be clear that white can’t win this by driving the rook off the a-file by attacking it. Finally, should white try to shepherd the pawn by going to b7…….
18. Kb6 Rb3!
The only move for black- if black doesn’t play this check, white gets the rook off of a8 and wins- as I showed above. Continuing:
19. Kc5 Ra3!=
It should be clear, I hope, why white can’t play a7 before he has created a position where he can get the rook off a8- he must either wait for black to make an error by letting his king stray too far from the 7th rank, or stray to to e7 away from the guard on h8/h7. Critically, the a7 square must be reserved for the white king to escape checks from the lower ranks so that white has the time to move the rook off of a8.
At this point, I am going to break the comment here and continue in a subsequent comment to discuss some of the more subtle points of winning this particular position, including the points I raised about white’s 5th and 9th moves above, and black’s 10th move. In addition, I will discuss how white makes use of the a7 square for the king when black plays best defense.
In my previous comment I showed white’s strategy to win starting with 1.a8!, I showed black’s best defenses for the start, and white’s only plan to follow with 2.a6!. So, for right now, what I want to do is sort of work backwards through the first 10 moves from the previous comment. I am doing it this way because I think it helps clarify some of the more subtle points that need to be addressed later on. So, I am going to pick up the position as it was after black’s 10th move of Ra5 in my previous comment at 12:58 p.m. This is the position in FEN: R7/8/P6k/r7/5K2/8/8/8 w: In the previous comment, I showed by pushing a7 was an error. White’s correct plan is to start the journey back to the queen side with move 11:
11.Ke4!
Also, 11.Ke3 will win, but I count an extra couple of moves minimum in doing so. Continuing:
11. …………Kg7
Prophylactic move. As I showed in the previous comment, black has to play this move (or Kh7) at some point just to be able to have the flexibility of moving the rook off the a-file if needed. White’s king is coming towards the a-file regardless of whether or not black uses checks here, so Kg7 is logical. Continuing:
12.Kd4 Kf7
Here, black just need make sure he doesn’t go beyond f7- with the rook on the a-file black can get back to g7 in a single move if white plays a7- the pawn is still on a6, so there isn’t an immediate threat, and black would be extremely happy to see white err with a7. Black is just waiting for white to reach b4. Continuing:
13.Kc4 Kf6
Again, black is waiting. There are two issues here for where to put the black king, and now is the time to explain why the last two black moves are the longest defense- as you will see later below, black eventually has to start bringing the king to the queen side just to offer maximum resistance, from f7 and f6, the black king is still in reach of g7 should white play a7 prematurely, and the black king is one move closer to the queen side should white make some other error that loses a tempo- I will discuss this possibility later. Continuing with white’s 14th move:
14.Kb4
Now white has put black on the spot. If the rook leaves the a-file, white will play a7 since the black king isn’t on the 7th rank at the moment: [14. …Re5 15.a7 Kg7 16.Rb8+-]. So the rook must retreat to a1 or a2. Continuing:
14. …………Ra1 (I think Ra2 is just as tenacious)
15. Kc5
Here, 15.Kb5 is actually a longer path simply due to a check from b1 that forces the king back to the c-file before he can reach b6. Continuing:
15. …………Kf7
By my count, it is the same as if black plays either Rc1+, Ra2, or Kf7. In all of them, the same position eventually should arise by transposition, or a nearly identical one (different only where the the rook is on a1 or a2). With Kf7, black is maintaining reach for g7 while also maintaining the quickest approach for the return to the queen side. Continuing with white’s 16th move:
16.Kb6
The critical position for white has been reached. Basically, everything white has done to this point has simply been to reach this position and its close analogues. Black’s king has been kept at bay by the threats of a7 and checks from the back rank, and black’s rook has been forced away from the king to keep an eye on the a-pawn. Also, white has reclaimed access to ranks 5-7 and is now in a position to credibly shepherd the pawn forward since he has a hole to hide from checks at a7- long enough to get the rook off of a8. The rest from this point is fairly straightforward. Continuing with black’s 16th move:
16. …………Rb1
If black plays Ke7, white just pushes a7 now since the threat of Rh8 can’t be stopped any longer. If the black rook leaves the a-file on a square other than b1 with check, white again immediately plays a7 since the necessary return of the rook to guard the a-file will prevent black from returning the king to g7 in time to prevent Rh8 and Rh7+ to skewer after the capture at a7 (left as an exercise is 16. …Re1 etc.). Continuing with white’s 17th move:
17.Ka7
Every move wins, but Ka7 must be played in all of the lines so it is shortest to do it now. White can now get the rook off of a8 safely.
17. ………….Ke7
With a7 blocked to the pawn, black can now get onto the e-file, but it is now too late to matter. As I replied to K.V. above in the very first comment, time was of the essence. This is one of the reasons why- if white is tardy in getting the rook to a8 and the pawn to a6, the black king closes in too quickly at the critical junctures. For example, if black could have played Kd7 or Kd6 on move 17, it is drawn (I leave this, too, as an exercise to show why). Continuing with white’s 18th move:
18.Rb8!
The only move that wins. White has to play this move immediately, and I am going to take a detour to show you why. Let’s suppose white played the rook to h8:
18.Rh8? Kd7! (Kd6 draws too for the same reason)
19.Rb8
White has to try to clear the b-file so the king himself can get out from in front of the pawn, so Rb8 must be played at some point. Alternatively, white could check from h7 and oppose from b7 leaving the b8 square for the white king, but this also draws: [19.Rh7 Kc6 20.Rb7 Ra1 and the white king can’t go to b8 without losing the pawn, and white can’t drive the black king away long enough to allow the white king to go to b7]. Continuing with black’s 19th move:
19. ………..Ra1 (lots of moves draw, left as an exercise for the curious)
20.Kb7 Rb1! (the only move)
21.Ka8 Ra1 (any rook move along the 1st rank draws here)
22.a7 Kc7
23.Rb2
To drive the king back by checking from c2, but……
23. ………..Rc1 prevents the check, not that it even matters now since the black could just as easily put the rook on the other squares on the 1st rank to draw- also left as an exercise- the white rook can’t both cover the c-file and the b-file at the same time. So, now we are in a position to return to move 18 above where white has played 16.Rb8 in time to win. This is the position we are playing from: R7/K3k3/P7/8/8/8/8/1r6 w
18.Rb8! Rc1
Every move loses for black, but this is the longest defense and it makes white play the most accurately. I will point out why as we go along. Continuing:
19.Kb7!
I don’t doubt this is an odd looking move. It isn’t the only winning move, but it has to be played at some point regardless. The important point to take away here is the futility of moving the white rook along the b-file on every square but one, so we have to take another detour to understand this issue. So, let’s suppose white had played 19.Rb5:
19.Rb5? Kd7!
The only draw for black- it threatens a check from c6, c7, and c8 should white move the king to the b-file- this is why 18. …Rc1 was the most tenacious defense for black since it is the only move that allows checks on all the ranks, even the one the black king is sitting on. Continuing:
20.Kb7 Rc7!
21.Kb6 Rc6!
22.Ka7
If 22.Ka5, black draws most efficiently with Kc7. Continuing:
22. ………..Kc7 (lots of drawing moves here, this one is obvious to me)
23.Rb7 Kc8=
Now, we need to discuss one last item in this subvariation at move 19- why 19.Rb4, a move similar looking to 19.Rb5? still wins. From the following position 1R6/K3k3/P7/8/8/8/8/2r5 w, we will continue:
19.Rb4!? Kd7 (as before threatening checks from c6, c7, and c8)
20.Kb6 Rc6
21.Kb5!
Black no longer has a check, and the white king hasn’t been forced to a5 or back to b7 or a7. In addition, the white rook isn’t at b3-b1 where black can threaten a skewer with the king on b5. The best black can do here is to continue with Kc7, but this will eventually lose:
21. …………Kc7
22.a7!
And now black has a problem- if he plays Kb7 to cover a8, white will queen the pawn sacrificially and then capture the rook at c6 with the king. This leaves only the check from b6:
22. …………Rb6
23.Ka5! Rb4 (nothing better now than the Q vs R ending)
24.a8(Q)+-
While it is enough to show that white wins with 19.Rb4!?, I think it proper to discuss the shorter line. Continuing from the following position as before, 1R6/K3k3/P7/8/8/8/8/2r5 w:
19.Kb7! Rb1
Basically, white is threatening a7 here and then walking the rook down on the first rank if necessary. With Rb1, black tries to muck with this plan. Continuing:
20.Ka8!
This move has to be played at some point unless black makes another error. It is odd looking, but its purpose will become clear. Continuing:
20. …………Rc1
Black is trying his best- the plan is Kd7 followed by checks from c6-8, but this is hopeless now:
21.a7 Kd6 (if Kd7 22.Kb7 Rb1 23.Ka6 Ra1 24.Kb6 Rb1 25.Kc5+-)
22.Kb7 Rb1
23.Kc8! Rc1
24.Kd8
Using the black king as a shield. Black has one arrow left in the quiver at this point……
24. …………Rh1
Threatening Rh8#, but white has a simple counter for this:
25.Rb6! Kc5
26.Rc6!
I did look at other moves here, Rb2/3, and even the winning Rb1. Those should all win, but as far as I can tell they are Q vs R endings, so very unlikely to be shorter in length unless I am just overlooking a quick double attack to reduce to a Q vs K ending. All other moves for white draw here with proper play by black, but if you have read my comments to this point, you should be able to devise the defense for black by now, but if you are interested and can’t figure it out, just leave a comment and I will address it. 26.Rc6 simply forces the issue immediately since black can’t take the rook without allowing a skewer along the h1/a8 diagonal, it wouldn’t have helped black to have put the rook on g1 at move 24. Continuing with black’s 26th move:
26. ………..Kd5 (if Kb5 27.Rc8 wins best)
27.Ra6
Preparing to protect the new queen from the skewer from h8:
27. ……….Rh8
28.Kc7!
Necessary since if white tries to walk the rook down on the h-file, black will put the rook on a8 instead at some point- left as an exercise to determine when white has gone too far towards the h-file. Continuing:
28. ………..Rh7
29.Kb6 Rh6
30.Kb5+-
I am going to cut this comment at this point. Later tonight, I will return to finish the discussion about the more subtle aspects of this plan to win for white- especially white’s 5th and 9th moves, black’s 10th move, and finally show explicitly why white was forced to play the first two moves. However, I have something I have to do the rest of the afternoon so can’t finish it up right now.
So, yesterday, I outlined white’s method if black plays the strongest of defenses. As I pointed out, white must get the rook to a8 and the pawn to a6 as soon as possible. When white does this, black must ensure that his king maintain adequate control of the squares g8, h8, and h7 in order to prevent White from pushing the pawn to a7 followed by either checks from the 8th rank, or skewers from h7 after Black has taken the pawn at a7. The reason white must make those first moves is quite simple- it is the only way to keep the black king on the king side of the board long enough to engineer the moving of the white rook off the a-file. In addition, getting the white rook to a8 and the pawn to a6 does one other thing- it eventually forces black to put his own rook behind because black needs to be able to capture the pawn at a7 and a8- this necessarily separates the black rook and his king.
What I am going to do today is explain some of the maneuvers from yesterdays comments and explain why they were necessary. I did that most aspects of the main line, but there were two real instances in white’s plan that I didn’t immediately explain because they are a bit complicated, but are understandable. So, I am going to go through the main line again and explain the details I left out yesterday. After that, I will explore the variations involved when either or both players misplay the position early on.
The Main Line of Best Play
1. Ra8! Kh6
2. a6! Rg8
3. Kb7! Rg7
4. Kb6 Rg6
5. Kb5
Yesterday, I made a mistake when I described 5.Kb5 as an only move for white to win, but when I was thinking about it, I was weighing this move against the seemingly better Kc5, and not really thinking about any other square the king could go to. Think about the plan- white needs to walk the rook down to escape the checks, so must venture all the way over to f4 after being checked from g5- so 5.Kc5 seems right, no? How can Kc5 lead to draw if it is the direction the king must go in later? However, this overlooks a very important principle in this ending that I am now going explain in detail. Lets suppose, at move 5, white had played Kc5?, and lets see how it all goes wrong for white:
5. Kc5? Kh7!
The only move for black that draws after white has erred with 5.Kc5. If Black had continued with the harassing checks with Rg5, white obviously would have transposed back into the winning line I showed yesterday. Let’s continue this line to see the difference from the main line of yesterday’s comment:
6. Kd5 Rb6 (Rf6, Rh6, Rg5, and Kg7 all draw because they keep the tempo balance)
7. Kc5 Rg6
Notice the difference now? With the black rook on the 6th rank attacking a6, the white rook can’t leave the a-file. In addition, the white king by himself can’t drive the black rook off the 6th rank since it can just transfer from b6 to g6/h6. All white can do is either check from a7 with the rook, and/or push the pawn to a7, but neither can win by force now:
8. Ra7 Kh8 (or Kg8 and Kh6 draw, too)
9. Kb5 Rg5!
10.Kb6 Rg6!
11.Kc5 Rg5 (Kg8, Rf6 and Re6 draw, but Rh6 loses to 12.Ra8 or 12.Kb5)
12.Kd4 Rg6
And, at move 8:
8. a7 Ra6 (or Rg5, but if Rg7?? 9.Rh8 Kh8 10.a8Q+-)
9. Kb5 Ra1=
Now, lets return to White’s 5th move where he has properly played 5.Kb5 and see why Black putting the king on h7 on move 5 no longer is effective, though you should guess the reason already. Starting from the following position from above: R7/8/PK4rk/8/8/8/8/8 w
5. Kb5 Kh7
6. Rb8+-
White simply gets the rook off the a-file since the pawn is protected by the king. This is why 5.Ka7, 5.Kb7, 5.Ka5 also win for white, still, but 5.Kc7 also only draws. Of the moves 5.Ka5 and 5.Kb5 both make the same amount of progress by my count, while the winning moves to the 7th rank are two moves longer since white must still eventually play either Kb5 or Ka5 in response to the checks. So, at move 5, black must continue to harass with checks just to extend the game the longest time. Now lets return to the main line again with 5.Kb5- the following position: R7/8/PK4rk/8/8/8/8/8 w
5. Kb5 Rg5
6. Kc4 Rg4
Just to reinforce some of the points above, if black puts the rook back on g6 rather than continue to check the king on move 6, white just pushes the pawn to a7- remember what I told you yesterday- if the black king is on the 6th rank when white can play a7, black must have the rook behind the pawn already so that it can capture the pawn at a8 to prevent white from sacrificing his own rook to queen the pawn (but there is one special case we will see later where black has another option just as effective). Also, if black puts the rook on a5 here on move 6, then white just plays 7.Kb4 and we transpose to the mainline I showed you yesterday, but move than 10 moves earlier than otherwise. Finally, again, if black plays some other move that doesn’t leave the rook attacking the pawn, then white just gets the rook off the a-file with the gift of the tempo. So, let’s continue with white’s 7th move from the following position: R7/8/P6k/8/2K3r1/8/8/8 w – – 0 1
7. Kd5
Here, as I mentioned yesterday, white can win with any move, but Kd5, Kc3, Kd3, Kc5 make progress towards the key f4 square, while the moves back to the b-file require two extra moves to get back to the d-file, but still win. I leave it as an exercise to verify this. Continuing with black’s 7th move:
7. ……………Rg5 (Rg6 and Ra4 are left as exercises now)
8. Ke6
As I wrote yesterday, white does just as well with Kd4, Ke4, while moves to the c-file require 2 extra moves to just get back to the e-file. One point to address here that I overlooked yesterday is that 8.Kd6 only draws, but you should already know why- black will check from g6, and then play Kh7 to set up the same drawing line I discussed above after 5.Kc5?, right? However, with 8.Ke6, black can’t do that as I show below, and it is why white’s 9th move is the only move to win:
8. …………..Rg6 (setting the trap)
9. Kf5!
Avoiding the trap. We need to discuss white alternatives here, but the basis for doing so is already in the analysis above, so should be easier. I think it should be clear that if white had played 9.Ke5 and 9.Kd5, black draws with Kh7 as shown above. In addition, moves to the 7th rank to f7, e7, and d7 all draw, too, but for a different reason, but one we saw in the earlier comments from yesterday and the day before- to make any progress at all, white is forced to try a7 prematurely, however, black’s defense is a special case
9. Kf7? Rd6 (Rc6, and Rb6 draw too- left as an exercise)
10.Ke7 Rg6 (or Rb6 and Rc6)
11.a7 Rg7!
12.Kf6
Now, remember what I told you before- when the pawn is on a7, black needs to control the 8th rank checking squares with the king and have the rook behind the pawn, but that isn’t going to be possible here if black checks from g6 here and then g5 after the white king goes to f5- the checks will end and black either has the king on the 6th rank with the rook behind the pawn, or has the king on the 7th rank, but with no guard on a8- both lose. However, black has that special position I mentioned earlier that does the exact same thing, but in another way:
12. …………..Rh7!
The only move- it keeps the rook on a8 since there is no check on the black king and sacrificing at h8 is pointless since black would then control a8 with the rook. It should be clear that white can make no progress from here, but let’s just play it out where white brings the king back to the pawn:
13.Ke6 Kh5! (only move)
14.Kd6 Rh6 (Kh4 and Kh6 also draw, left as an exercise)
15.Kc5 Rh7! (only move, else white gets the rook off of a8 with the tempo gift)
16.Kb6 Rh6
17.Kb7 Rh7= totally drawn, right?
So, we are now ready to continue with the main line again starting with the following position where white is about to make his 9th move to the only winning square f5: R7/8/P3K1rk/8/8/8/8/8 w
9. Kf5! Rg5 (you now have all the tools you need to know why this check is best)
10.Kf4
All king moves win here, but Kf4 must be played eventually in all. White has gained a move where he avoids a check in the right way. Black has only bad choices here, of course, but they are more constrained than before. The longest defense here is going to be Ra5- it puts the rook behind the pawn so white can’t immediately play a7 followed by Rh8+, and it forces the white king to walk back across the board to get himself back over the fifth rank to shepherd the pawn. If black attacks the white pawn from the side with Rg6, of course white just pushes a7 and will queen two moves later safely. The only other really relevant moves here is Rg7, when white plays the rook off of the a-file to win, and Kg6 that loses instantly to Rg8+. This is why black plays 10. ….Ra5- it is simply the longest, toughest defense left.
For the main line, this is enough analysis I think to fully understand this ending problem- the path from move 10 was described sufficiently yesterday. I had planned to discuss some of the shorter variations where black plays the less good defenses, but you should be able to handle those using the tools I have described.
Yancey Ward, thank you very much for your explanation. I studied it but I don’t understand how to win this position R7/6k1/P7/2r5/5K2/8/8/8 w – -after 12th move
1. Ra8 Kh6
2. Kb7 Rg7+
3. Kb6 Rg6+
4. Kb5 Rg5+
5. Kc4 Rg4+
6. Kd5 Rg5+
7. Ke6 Rg6+
8. Kf7 Rg7+
9. Kf6 Rg6+
10. Kf5 Rg5+
11. Kf4 Rc5
12. a6 Kg7
Alena, the position after the 12th move is a draw with best play. The error is in white’s 2nd move of 2.Kb7?- white must play 2.a6! to force the win. The rest of your line is perfectly fine, but because of the mistake, white has lost that critical tempo that allowed him to to win. I want to compare your line to the winning line I gave above, but to do so in the most explanatory way, I need to alter your line at move 7 where you take a detour to f7 with the white king- from e6 at move 7, white could have played an immediate 8. Kf5 to reach the same position reached in move 10. So, here are the two lines side by side:
1. Ra8! Kh6 1.Ra8! Kh6
2. a6! Rg8 2.Kb7? Rg7
3. Kb7 Rg7 3.Kb6 Rg6
4. Kb6 Rg6 4.Kb5 Rg5
5. Kb5! Rg5 5.Kc4 Rg4
6. Kc4 Rg4 6.Kd5 Rg5
7. Kd5 Rg5 7.Ke6 Rg6
8. Ke6 Rg6 8.Kf5 Rg5
9. Kf5! Rg5 9.Kf4
10.Kf4
The two positions, R7/8/7k/P5r1/5K2/8/8/8 b and R7/8/P6k/6r1/5K2/8/8/8 b, differ only in the position of the a-pawn. Fundamentally, white has lost a tempo in your line, and that tempo shows itself in where the a-pawn is. In the winning line on the left, black must put the rook on a5 just to avoid losing quickly- if black plays 10. ….Rc5, then white will win by simply playing a7- Continuing from 10.Kf4 above:
10. ………Rc5
11. a7!
Threatens 12.Rh8, and black can do nothing about it now:
11. ……….Kg7 (before or after black runs out of checks from the c-file)
12. Rg8 Kg8
13. a8Q with a decisive edge.
However, in your line on the right, at move 9……
9. ………….Rc5
White has no immediate threats. He can push the a-pawn to a6, but now white can’t get back to the pawn…..
10.a6 Kg7 (or Kh7, are the only two moves for black)
11.Ke4 Kh7 (draws also with Rb5 and Rc6, but loses with Ra5)
12.Kd4 Rc6! (the only drawing move for black)
We have reached an analogous position I described in my comment on January 5th, at 1:55 p.m. (after move 6 for black). With the rook on on the 6th rank attacking the pawn, the white rook can go nowhere other than a7, and if white pushes the pawn to a7, white will never escape the checks without forcing the rook to the a-file, but then black is perfectly content to leave the rook on the a-file because the white king will never have the shelter of the a7 square when he needs it- as the king approaches b7, black just checks from the b-file.
White can waste no time in setting up that threat of the rook on a8 and the pawn on a6. By delaying it, white gives black the chance to put the king on g7/h7, and the rook, eventually on the 6th rank attacking the pawn from the side. When the black king is on g7/h7, white must be able to force the rook to the a-file behind the pawn, but before the pawn has reached a7. That is why time is critical.
And one final item reemphasized before I leave it- white can’t go over and support the pawn either after allowing black to set up the rook on the sixth rank. However, I do need to add one more detail that matters.
From the following position: R7/7k/P1r5/8/3K4/8/8/8 w and starting with move 13 from the line in m comment above:
13. Kd5
Attacking the rook on c6 and forcing it to relent on the c-file:
13. ……………Rb6 (all safe squares on the 6th rank draw still-Rf6, Rg6, and Rh6)
14. Kc5 Rg6
Staying on the sixth rank is required, but because the white king is one square away from protecting the pawn, black no longer can safely go to h6, and I point out why in just a moment. Continuing:
15. Kb5
White is now threatening the get the rook off the a-file, but now……..
15. …………..Rg5
Black begins the harassing checks again and will force the white king back over towards the king side just to stop them for a move. You might suspect why black couldn’t play 14. ….Rh6 without losing- white could escape the checks for a move by moving onto the 7th rank since the black king is sitting on h7. So, in lines where the black is on g7, the black rook at move 14 can’t go to h6 or g6 to draw, but rather has to go to e6 or f6. And, finally, it will do white no good after move 15 to go back to the king side since the attack from f5, the rook just goes back to the queen side on the sixth rank, still keeping the white rook on the a-file. A clean drawing position.
Yancey Thank you very much for your help. Having studied your explanation in detail I think I understand it better now.
I tried to play it. I made the first move for black Rg8+ on purpose. I wanted to check my understanding. Here it is
1. Ra8 Rg8+
2. Kb7 Rg7+
3. Kc6 Rg6+
4. Kd5 Rg5+
5. Ke4 Kh6
6. a6 Rg4+
7. Ke5 Rg5+
8. Kf6 Rg6+
9. Kf5 Rg5+
10. Kf4 Ra5
11. Ke4 Kg6
12. Kd4 Kg7
13. Kc4 Kf6
14. Kb4 Ra1
15. Kb5 Ra3
16. Kb6 Rb3+
17. Ka7 Ke5
18. Rb8 Rg3
19. Kb6 Rb3+
20. Kc7 Rc3+
21. Kd8 Kd6
22. a7 Rh3
23. Rb6+ Kc5
24. Rc6+ Kxc6
25. a8+Q Kd6
I reached K+Q+K+R ending. I know it’s a winning position for white. Could you explain in detail too how to win it quickly, please?
I wanted to ask you a question. I love studying chess endgames but sometimes I can’t understand something fully. Can you sometimes help me to analyse a position, please?
Lets deal with the Q vs R ending. I have written on this before, but, in summary, what you will be doing is using the queen initially to drive the black king towards the rook if the rook is already near the edge of the board- you do this by constantly threatening double attacks taking away ranks and files in the middle of the board from the black king. If the king and rook are already connected up in the middle, you will need to use the white king along with the queen to force both men back to the edges, and I will discuss that technique in a separate comment later tonight.
The main danger for you as white here would to be careful to not allow black to skewer the king and queen- I have, in the distant past allowed such things to happen, and my opponents defending often lose or draw by allowing me to do it to them. As black, you need to watch for the double attacks, and moves where white pins your rook with the queen while the white king is attacking it- I have won many games that way without having to even enforce the mate I show below. So, you goal is to drive the black king to the edge, and then to the corner of the board. Once you have the black king in the corner, or one square away from the corner, you will bring you king to the diagonal opposition- the squares c3, c6, g6, or f3 depending on where black goes with his king- while using the queen appropriately prevent harassing checks from the flanks- you will understand this later. In the present position, with the rook on h3, the black king will end up in the h1 corner or the a1 corner eventually- I already see to drive the king towards the rook at h3, and the white king coming towards the 1st rank will force the action towards that rank on either end. With the most resistant moves, black will avoid the closest corner, and will likely end up at a1 in the end.
So lets study the position you gave Q2K4/8/3k4/8/8/7r/8/8 w:
From this point forward, from the FEN above, I will renumber the moves starting from 1, ok? From the position, there are no immediate double attacks available for white where she checks the king and attacks the rook, and I don’t see any real maneuvers available that force black to produce such a position. Black defending, with the rook on h3, has to avoid putting the king on the c8/h3 diagonal and must avoid putting the king on squares where white can check him from that diagonal. With the threat of Rh8#, I would just check black from a6:
1. Qa6 Kd5
Of course, Kc5 loses quickly to the double attack Qc8+. On principle, black wants to keep the king in the center and eventually get the rook close for protection. Here, I think Ke5 would be just as good. Continuing:
2. Qb7
White, obviously, needs to drive the king to the edge of the board- right? So this check drives the black king towards the first rank and/or the h-file. Again, the black king can’t go to the c-file because of the check from c8, and can’t stay on the d-file because of the check from d7, and Ke6 allows the skewer from c8, so this leaves…
2. ………….Ke5
3. Qg7
Why this move? Because, it prevents black from going back to the d-file (the check from d7), and it prevents Ke4 because of the threat of Qg4+. Unless black errs, white won’t be able to create a forced double attack before the king and rook get back into contact, so what you want to do as white is force that reconnection by driving the king towards the edge rather than allowing black to get the rook to the king the in center. In this particular example, the rook was already on the edge when white queened the pawn, so that is why I drive the king towards the h1 square with every check. Notice the method- white is using the threat of checks from first c8 and then d7 to drive the king- this method is pretty general in nature. After Qg7+, black has only one move that doesn’t immediately lose the rook:
3. …………..Kf4
4. Qd4
This forces the black king either to go to the g-file, or to f3 (Kf5 allows Qd7+). All else being equal, black will want to stay as close as possible to the center of the board, so…..
4. …………..Kf3
With the black king and rook now within a king move of contact, white will need the assistance of the white king. The white queen has done all she can by herself in driving the black king towards the edge. This how you want to do the initial stage- drive the black king with the queen towards the rook whenever black has the rook already on the 2nd/1st/7th/8th ranks, or on the a/b/g/h files, or towards any pair of those if the rook near a corner (in this case Rh3 near h1). From here, I would just start bringing the king up as white:
5. Ke7 Rg3
Checking the white king is pointless if you are black- it separates the king and rook and white doesn’t care since he will walk the king down to f5 and g5 anyway. In addition, it won’t do black any good to play Rh6 cutting the white king off since white will return to checking the black king driving him back toward both the rook and the white king and towards the h-file (left as an exercise). Best for black literally has to be to get the rook in contact with the king and off the edge himself. Continuing:
6. Kf6
Again, just bringing the king to help the queen. In addition, this leaves black with no checks. The only king moves are towards the 1st rank and/or the h-file, just what white wants, but the rook moves don’t look too good either- white controls all the squares on the g-file directly, or indirectly with double attack threats, except for g4. Black could play the rook back to h3, but white will check from d3 (left as an exercise). This leaves Ke2 and and Rg4 as the options. From experience, I know Ke2 is the better option for black here……
6. …………..Ke2
If black had played 6. …Rg4, then [7.Qd3 Kf4 8.Qd2 Kf3 (or Ke4 9.Qe2 Kf4 10.Qf2 Ke4 11.Qf5 wins the rook) 9.Kf5 etc. driving both black men towards the edge]. These sidelines are important motifs to study and memorize. You will see it again, anyway. Continuing from 6. ….Ke2 above (the position is: 8/8/5K2/8/3Q4/6r1/4k3/8 w:
7. Kf5
Again, only bringing the king forward. From f5, white is threatening to put the king in opposition at e4 since the white queen controls e3-see that motif above again- so black gains nothing by checking from f3 now. Best for black is to prevent Ke4 immediately:
7. …………Re3
Black could tried attacking the queen with Rd3, but see below. Continuing from Re3 above:
8. Kf4 Rd3 (or Rf3 9.Ke4 Rg3 10.Qb2 etc. the point of the opposition Ke4, of course)
9. Qc5
Keeps control of e3 and d4, and threatens Qe3 if the rook departs the 3rd rank. White is just waiting here for black to move. Again, checking from f3 just allows Ke4 taking the oppostion when the white queen controls the square between the kings. White continues to press the rook and king backwards towards the edge of the board. Black does best here to keep the king on the 2nd rank and the rook on the third:
9. …………Kd2
10. Ke4
White keeps pressing. Here, Ke4 threatens Qc4 pinning and winning the rook if black plays Ke2, so the black king cannot move without losing the rook. Again, this is an important motif in this ending. Black can’t check from e3 either- both white pieces control the square. Best for black is to repeat the same pattern as above by attacking the queen as he did at move 8 above:
10. …………Rc3
11. Qf2
This move should explain itself- drives the black king to the first rank. At this point, you should study the positions that arise after 11.Qa5 and 11.Qb4 to convince yourself they aren’t shorter wins for white. Best for black is Kd1, I leave Kc1 as an exercise for you. Continuing:
11. ………..Kd1
12. Kd4 Rb3 (of course Rh3 allows Qf1+; if Ra3 13.Kc4 rest left as exercise)
Now, it gets a bit more complicated for white, or more subtle is the appropriate word. White needs to get the black rook off the 3rd rank so the king can come forward. How does white do it? This is another position where white is going to have to wait black out. The checks from the 1st rank aren’t going to be productive- the black king just goes back to the second rank. As the position stands, white controls all of the third rank except for a3 and h3 directly with either the queen or king, and h3 is controlled indirectly by the threat of Qf1+. If the white queen just moved up the f-file to f5-f8, white would still control g3 indirectly because of the threat of Qf1+ followed by Qf2+. However, from f5, the white queen could play Qc2+ if black played Ke2, but even better, it allows Qb1+ followed by Qb2+ if black plays Ra3, so……
13. Qf5! Kd2 (if Kc1 14.Kc4 etc.)
14. Qa5!
Another important motif to make progress is the sequence from move 12 to 14. Black can’t stay on the 1st or 2nd rank outside of the c-file because of the checks from a1 and a2- he must either play to c1 (left as an exercise), or better to c2:
14. …………Kc2
15. Qa2!
The moves now start to play themselves, don’t they? Obviously black has to block the check:
15. ………..Rb2 (leaving the 3rd rank)
16. Qc4 Kb1 (Kd2 17.Qc3+; or Kd1 17.Ke3 etc.)
17. Kd3!
From this point forward, I am going to leave all the sidelines as exercises. You should have the tools to finish them- I am only going to concentrate on black’s most resistant moves from here on out:
17. ………….Rg2 (threatening some harassing checks from the 3rd rank)
18. Qb3 Kc1 (what do you do if black plays Ka1 or Rb2- left as exercises)
19. Qc3 Kb1 (else Qa1#)
20. Qe1
White is again waits but with a check, but keeps the black rook off of g3 for a harassing check. White accomplishes the same thing with 20.Qe5, too, see how the line evolves below. Continuing:
20. …………Kb2 (what do you if Ka1- left as exercise)
21. Qe5!
Puts black in an impossible bind. The black king can’t go to b3 or a2 without allowing Qd5+ winning the rook. He can’t go to c1 without allowing Qa1#. And, finally, Ka3 allows white to play 22.Kc3 since the white queen still controls the g3 square- in essence, with Ka3, white would transform the 1st rank mate and mates with the queen on the 2nd rank threats into mates from the a-file and b-files, thus negating black’s rook’s control of the second rank. Continuing from 21.Qe5+ above:
21. …………Kb1
22. Kc3 Rb2 (with the idea of checks from b3 instead)
23. Qe1! Ka2
24. Qd1!
Preventing Rb3+. Also, threatening Qc1 pinning and winning the rook if black plays Ka3 here. The rook has to move along the b-file or the 2nd rank- no choice. The longest defenses will be to either edge:
24. …………Rh2
25. Qb3 Ka1
26. Qb8
You should work out the lines where black played 24. ….Rg2 and 24. Rf2- think about them. What white is doing here is preparing the ground for Kc2 if it is necessary- it depends on how black wants to defend. The point of Qb8 is both force the rook to move, but also to control the square of h2 so that black can’t check white a second time if he chooses harassment.
26. ………..Re2 (all the other moves are left as exercises- it will be worth your time)
27. Qa7 Kb1 (else Qg1#)
28. Qb6 Ka1 (all other moves left as exercises)
29. Qa6 Kb1 (Ra2 allows Qf1#)
30. Qe2 with mate on the next move.
This method is general once you have the black king one step from the edge of the board. I can literally play the last 20 moves of this without having to think about them for more than a split second. The maneuvers before that, to push the king towards the rook at h3 require me to slow only a bit to find the most efficient lines, but are almost second nature to me now.
What you should do, Alena, is study this particular example, including the variations I left as exercises. Then play the position without the notes against your chess program- ideally one with included tablebases until you can repeatedly win the game as white. Once you can do that, then create your own ending with the rook and king somewhere else on the board and play that against your chess engine until you can reliably win that position. That is how I learned to win this ending- I don’t play blitz online, but when I do play chess, I always play with incremental time, so this ending comes up every now then, and I now win it all the time when I have the queen, and I win sometimes with the rook and pretty much never lose the game unless I just lose on time.
Finally, Alena, consider the following position where the black rook and king are together in the center of the board with the white queen and king on the edges. One of the longer endings is the following: Q7/8/8/4r3/3k4/8/8/7K w. Since both white men are in the corners, and the black pieces are in the center four squares, it really doesn’t matter as to efficiency which white piece moves towards the center first, so….
1. Kg2 Ke3
The logic behind black’s move is that in general, the white king will follow the black men to the edge of the board, so as black you figure that you are going to be pushed towards the 8th rank in this particular case, so black plays his king in the other direction for a move. All black wants here is to try to force a draw by repetition or by the 50 move rule. All Q vs R endings are technically winnable in under 36 moves, I think, so it is important to find as much as you can the most efficient moves possible. So, for white at move 2, I would choose a queen move here, even though I doubt that 2.Kg3 is really inefficient- even if black checks from g5 pushing the king back to h4, suddenly the white king is a rank above the black king, so white will be pushing black towards the first rank. Most of the time, until the pieces are all in close combat, there are likely to be 4 or more moves of equal efficiency, so you can just rely on some common sense. In this particular position, I would choose….
2. Qd8
The logic being- I am simply preventing either the king or rook from getting on the d-file and I am taking control of g5 so black doesn’t check from there- nothing more than that. As black here, I would bring the king back to the fourth rank….
2. …………..Ke4
With g5 under control, I would now switch back to the king…
3. Kg3 Rf5
Not sure without looking it up if this is the stingiest defense, but I have played this ending as black many times over the years against other humans, I find the best defense here is to check the enemy king as much as I can but without letting my rook get too far away from my king, so here Rf5 simply threatens checks from the squares of f3 and f4, depending on where white leaves his king. For white here, Qe8 almost plays itself to separate the black men for a move
4. Qe8 Kd5
5. Kg4 Re5
6. Qa8
This might look strange, but the idea is actually pretty simple- it forces the black king to the 6th rank, the c-file, or to d4, but if the king plays to d4, white can play Kf4 closing in on the center since black can’t then play Re4+ since white’s queen and king have e4 under double control. This goes back to a theme from my previous comment- when I want to take the opposition on the opposing king with rook on the file/rank between them, I want to have control of the square between the kings so my opponent can’t check me. As black, I will stay in those 4 center squares as long as possible:
6. …………..Kd4
7. Kf4! Re6
Black wants to keep the rook at least one king move away from the black king, and wants to at least be able to give a harassing check on the opposed king if white allows it. White here, though has…
8. Qd8 Kc5
The only move that doesn’t lose the rook quickly. The position before white’s 8th move is the kind of position you are aiming for over and over until you get the king to the edge of the board. This will be your main weapon in pushing the black king back- take the opposition when you can maintain it for a move, and check from the flanks, and if black tries to foil this by moving the rook more than a square away from his king, keep a look out for quick wins via double attacks. Now, as white I would just attack the rook with the king- remember, black has to keep the rook nearby the king under most circumstances:
9. Kf5 Re3
Black is trying to keep the white king on the f-file, and threatening some harassment from the flank. White wants to keep the d-file from the king, and prevent a second check if black does choose to check from f3, so…
10. Qd2 Re7 (if Rf3 11.Ke5 plays itself)
11. Qa5 Kc6 (if Kd6 12.Qd8 Rd7 13.Ke7)
12. Qa6 Kd5
13. Qa8
The last three moves for white are hard to explain in words, but the goal is to force the black king towards the rook on e7. After 13.Qa8+, though, black is now forced to play Kd6, and white can use a motif we saw yesterday that takes advantage of the rook’s limitation to files and ranks:
13. ………..Kd6 (only move to not drop the rook)
14. Qd8! Rd7 (only move to not drop the rook)
15. Qb6! Ke7 (again, the only move that doesn’t lose quickly)
Now, as white, I want to try to get the king to e6/f6, so I check along the diagonal:
16. Qc5 Kf7
Black had a choice between Kf7 and Kd8 as king moves, but blocking the check is immediately fatal because of 17.Ke5 attacking the pinned rook.
17. Qe5!
Controls d5 for the next move to prevent the check. If the black rook leaves the seventh rank, white will check from e6. Continuing:
17. …………Re7
Black could try Rd1 here, but white can take advantage of the unprotected rook: [17. …Rd1 18.Qe6! Kf8 19.Qh6! Kg8 20.Qb6! guarding g1 and the sixth rank] You should study this sideline until you understand it completely, Alena. Taking advantage of an unprotected rook will help shorten many lines- there isn’t a general description- you just have to work them out whenever the rook ventures 2 or more squares away from the king- looking for paths the king will have to follow in response to checks to not lose the rook, and once you have the king where you wanted to push him, consolidating the position by covering your own king- in this particular case, with 20.Qb6, white covered the sixth rank and the g1 square so that white can play the king to g6. However, since black didn’t cooperate and played Re7 instead, white just repeats the very last motif at move 16 by checking along the diagonal. Continuing from 17. ….Re7 above:
18. Qd5 Ke8 (if Kg7 19.Kg5 etc)
19. Qg8!
This will be the hardest move to find in this entire line, and maybe the hardest one for me to explain. Against a human player, you will likely never encounter this position, and even if you did such a player will likely bungle it on the next move anyway. However, every single time I played the online Shredder program in this ending and we reach this or an analogous position, it found the longest defense and I was forced to figure this idea of the odd looking check from the back rank. It is very tempting to play 19.Kf6 here, and I can only show you the problem by taking the detour. So, let’s suppose white plays 19.Kf6:
19. Kf6?! Rc7!?
This is the only move black has that doesn’t lose quickly, and you should take the time to convince yourself of this by analyzing on your own all the other moves black could make here- it really is the only way to understand this position. What white wanted to do was force the black king towards the corner until the rook is forced away to the edge along either the rank or the file just to prevent the immediate mate. However, after Rc7, white can’t quickly drive him to the nearer corner of h8, but would end up chasing him towards a8- for example, continuing from 19. ….Rc7!? above:
20. Qb5 Kd8 etc.
White of course will still win, but will lose 5 to 6 moves in the process, and this has three problems for an actual chess game- clock time loss, the chances of accidentally going through a 3-fold repetition, and, of course, getting drawn by the 50 move rule. Now, lets return to the following position that arose after black’s 18th move and see why 19.Qg8 was the most efficient choice: 4k3/4r3/8/3Q1K2/8/8/8/8 w
19. Qg8! Kd7
20. Kf6
You will occasionally run into analogous positions in the dead center of the board. The point is that black can’t play Kd6 here because white will pin the rook with Qf8 and win it, so the king can’t move at all, so he isn’t escaping back towards the center. In fact none of the rook moves on the e-file is appetizing- the best being
20. ………….Re8
21. Qf7 Kd8
And now white transfers the queen to the other side of the king…..
22. Qb7
Prevents Kc8, and forces black to move the rook off the 8th rank altogether because of the threat of a skewer….
22. …………..Re1 (or Re2; if Rf8+ 23.Ke6 wins quickly)
So, black has been forced to separate the rook and king even before reaching the corner. So, I almost always find that attacking the rook is the right move in this position when I already have the king on the edge. Here, it is pretty obvious to me the right approach is…
23. Qb4 Re2
If black checks from f1, white’s 24.Ke6 wins the rook since if black doesn’t play Kc7, he gets mated with 25.Qb8, but after Kc7, 25.Qc4 wins the rook on f1. Also, if black plays 23. ….Re8, white replies with 24.Kf7 attacking the rook forcing it back down the e-file (going along the 8th rank again allows Qb8+) to e2, for example, and is won this case by 25.Qd6 followed by 26.Qa6 with a winning double attack. However, after 23. ….Re2, white wins with …
24. Qd6 Ke8 (if Kc8 25.Qa6)
25. Qa6
Threatening 26.Qc8# and 26.QxR- the rook must move to check the king:
25. ………….Rf2 (if Rc2 white wins with 26.Qa4+)
26. Ke6
Again threatening Qc8/a8#- black now has no check available so
26. ………….Kf8 (Kd8 27.Qb6+ wins)
27. Qa3 Kg7/g8
28. Qg3+ wins the rook.
This ending turned out a bit different than the one yesterday because of the when the black rook was forced away from the king on the edge.
If I tried to put this in a summary of ideas, it would be like this- slowly bring the king and queen towards the K+R combo in the middle, try to get the opposition with the kings with the queen in control of the square in the middle when possible and then check along the flank to drive the king. Additionaly, whenever black separates the rook and king by more than one move, at least take the time to look for quick wins with double attacks, and if the opponent has put the rook on the edge, do what I demonstrated yesterday by using double attack threat to drive the king towards that rook. Once you get the king on the edge, you look to create mating threats when the rook has affirmed itself on the 7th rank, and if the opponent has ended up with the king and rook both on the same edge, look for ways to get the queen in a position like today after move 22 above.
It really does take a lot of practice to get this down- it isn’t an easy ending to master in any other way.