King & Rook vs King & Pawn
A rook should beat a lone pawn — but a far-advanced passer with its king alongside can hold. Learn the stopping technique and the drawing tricks.
What you'll learn
- Cutting the enemy king off from its pawn
- Rounding up a passed pawn with the rook
- When a far-advanced pawn can hold the draw
The technique, move by move
Every line below is verified against an endgame tablebase — perfect play, no guesswork.
Cut off the king and collect the pawn
1.Rg3+ Kd4 2.Kxc2
Cut the enemy king off with a check before it can shepherd the pawn.
Cut the king, win the c-pawn
1.Rd2 Kc4 2.Kxc2
Cut the king, win the e-pawn
1.Rf2 Kd4 2.Rxe2
Rook behind the pawn
1.Ka1 Kc4 2.Kxa2
Catch the h-runner
1.Kf2 Kg4 2.Kg2 Kf5 3.Kxh2
Cover the queening square (b)
1.Kd2 b1=N+ 2.Rxb1+
Drill the King & Rook vs King & Pawn
Practice randomly served positions and play them out against a perfect tablebase until you convert the win every time.
Open the Endgame Trainer →Related endgames to master
The first checkmate every player must own. Use the rook to cut the king off and walk your own king up to force the lone king to the edge.
King & Queen vs KingBox the lone king toward a corner with the queen a knight's-move away — and never stalemate. The fastest of the basic mates once the technique clicks.
Two Bishops vs KingCoordinate the bishops into a wall and herd the king to a corner. Trickier than it looks and a classic test of piece harmony.
Bishop & Knight MateThe hardest basic mate — the king can only be mated in a corner matching the bishop's colour. Learn the W-manoeuvre and the 50-move clock stops scaring you.