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The Lucena position: building a bridge
The most important winning technique in rook endgames.
Intermediate · Rook endgames · 2 steps. On Chess Castles, Chess Guru reads each step aloud in English, Hindi or Marathi while the moves play on the board, and you can practise any position against the engine.
Step 1
White's pawn is one step from queening, but the white king is stuck in front of it, and the black rook checks from the side. The winning idea is called building a bridge: the white rook will shield the king from the checks.
Step 2
Moves: 1.Rd1+ Ke7 2.Rd4 Ke6 3.Kc7 Rc2+ 4.Kb6 Rf2 5.Kc6 Rb2 6.Rd6+ Kf5 7.Rd5+ Kg4 8.Rb5 Rc2+ 9.Kb6 Re2 10.b8=Q Re6+ 11.Ka5 Re4 12.Qd6 Kf3
First the rook checks the black king away, then it goes to the 4th rank. When the checks come, the king walks down and the rook blocks: the bridge. The pawn queens.
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More lessons in Rook endgames
- The Philidor defence: How to hold a draw with rook against rook and pawn.
- Rooks belong behind passed pawns: The rule of Tarrasch: your rook is strongest behind the passed pawn.
- Rook against pawn: count the moves: A rook usually beats a pawn, unless your king is too far away.
- The Vancura defence: Hold a rook and a-pawn endgame by attacking the pawn from the side.
Next lesson: The Philidor defence