Cochrane Defense
The Cochrane Defense is a drawing method discovered by John Cochrane. The Cochrane Defense is the most popular among grandmasters for this endgame (Nunn 2002:174ff). The basic idea is to pin the bishop to its king when there are at least two ranks or files between it and the defending king.
Accurate play is required for the defense. The defense is most effective near the center of the board, and does not work on the edge (Nunn 2002:174ff). The Cochrane Defense works when:
- the defending rook pins the bishop to the king on one of the four central files (c through f) or ranks (3 through 6), and
- there are two or more ranks or files (respectively) between the kings (de la Villa 2008:213–16).
The Cochrane defense can also be used with a rook against a rook and knight (Howell 1997:150).
Read more about this topic: Rook And Bishop Versus Rook Endgame, Drawing Defenses
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