Rook and Pawn Versus Rook Endgame - Pawn On The Sixth or Seventh Rank

Pawn On The Sixth or Seventh Rank

In his 1958 book Chess Endgames, Nikolay Kopaev gave these general guidelines for when the pawn is on the sixth or seventh rank:

  • When the black king is cut off two or more files from the pawn, White always wins.
  • If the black king is on the long side of the pawn and his rook is on the short side, White wins with very few exceptions.
  • If the pawn is on the seventh rank, the only defense involves checks from the side. If the pawn is on the sixth rank, a defense of checks from the rear is possible.
  • The defense of checking from the side normally requires three empty files between the pawn and the black rook. Sometimes it is possible with only two files when the pawn is on the seventh rank.
  • In order for a defense of checking from behind to be successful, the white king must be behind the pawn, not in front of it.
  • There are tactical possibilities: (1) deflecting the black rook, and (2) creating a shelter for the white king (Minev 2004:72).

Read more about this topic:  Rook And Pawn Versus Rook Endgame

Famous quotes containing the words pawn, sixth, seventh and/or rank:

    “In ceremonies of the horsemen,
    Even the pawn must hold a grudge.”
    —Bob Dylan [Robert Allen Zimmerman] (b. 1941)

    “If you are willing to inconvenience yourself in the name of discipline, the battle is half over. Leave Grandma’s early if the children are acting impossible. Depart the ballpark in the sixth inning if you’ve warned the kids and their behavior is still poor. If we do something like this once, our kids will remember it for a long time.”
    —Fred G. Gosman (20th century)

    “When my face turned toward his,
    I averted it
    and looked at my feet.
    When my ears clamored
    to hear his talk,
    I stopped them.
    When my cheeks broke out
    in sweat and goosebumps,
    I covered them with my hands.
    But Friends,
    when the seams of my bodice
    burst in a hundred places,
    what could I do?”
    —Amaru (c. seventh century A.D.)

    “In a famous Middletown study of Muncie, Indiana, in 1924, mothers were asked to rank the qualities they most desire in their children. At the top of the list were conformity and strict obedience. More than fifty years later, when the Middletown survey was replicated, mothers placed autonomy and independence first. The healthiest parenting probably promotes a balance of these qualities in children.”
    —Richard Louv (20th century)