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The Vancura defence
Hold a rook and a-pawn endgame by attacking the pawn from the side.
Advanced · Rook endgames · 1 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
Moves: 1.a7 Ra6 2.Rb8 Rxa7 3.Rb1 Ra2+ 4.Kf1 Rc2 5.Ra1 Rb2 6.Rc1 Ra2
White's rook stands in front of its a-pawn, the worst place for it. Black's rook attacks the pawn from the side, so the white rook must keep guarding it, and the black king stays safely near g7. White can never make progress: a draw. This defence was found by Josef Vancura in 1924.
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More lessons in Rook endgames
- The Lucena position: building a bridge: The most important winning technique 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.
Next lesson: The wrong-coloured bishop