Pawn on the fourth rank
Two files are enough
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Win
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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.
Other moves here
Lesson 1 of 5
Cutting the King Off
With rook and pawn against rook, the defending king is the best defender. Cut it off from the pawn with your rook, by enough files, and the pawn walks through.
In rook and pawn against rook, the defender draws easily if the king gets in front of the pawn. The attacker's first job is to stop that: put the rook on a file between the defending king and the pawn, so the king cannot cross it.
How far the king is cut off decides the result. The rule of five gives a quick estimate: add the pawn's rank to the number of files the king is cut off by. More than five is usually a win; five or less is normally a draw.
Every result in this lesson comes from a tablebase. You get three conditions, each with the move that keeps the win and one that throws it away in the same position, two wins move by move, and four positions to solve.
The idea
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Cut off by one file
White's rook on f1 keeps Black's king off the f-file, one file from the pawn. Pawn on the fourth rank, one file: four plus one is five, and the tablebase says draw.
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Cut off by two files
With the rook on g1 and the king on h6, the king is two files away. Four plus two is six, and the tablebase says White wins, even with Black to move.
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The exception: a knight pawn
Chéron, 1923: the rule of five says win, but it is a draw. With a b-pawn, White's king has too little room on the far side of the pawn to hide from the checks.
Before you play it: the checklist
Each condition with two positions: one where it holds and the move works, one where it is missing and the same move fails. The number is Stockfish's evaluation after the move, from the attacker's side.
1.Cut it off by two files
One file is not enough with the pawn on the fourth rank. Put the rook two files away from the pawn, between it and the king.
It works
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1.Rg1Win
1.Rg1! cuts the king off by two files. It is the only winning move.
It fails
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1.Rf1Draw
1.Rf1? cuts it off by only one file, and the tablebase says draw.
The engine prefers Rg1 (Win).
2.Come forward under the checks
When the defending rook checks, step forward towards the pawn, not back.
It works
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2.Kf4Win
2.Kf4 steps forward. White wins.
It fails
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2.Ke2Draw
2.Ke2? steps back, and the tablebase says draw.
The engine prefers Kf4 (Win).
3.The king protects the pawn, the rook keeps the cut
Do not take the rook away from its file to defend the pawn: the king can do that, and the cut has to stay.
It works
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3.Kf5Win
3.Kf5 protects the pawn with the king. White wins.
It fails
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3.Re1Draw
3.Re1? defends with the rook and lets Black's king back, and the tablebase says draw.
The engine prefers Kf5 (Win).
Move by move
Click a move or use the arrows. Under each note you'll find the defender's other choices and how to answer them. The number under the board is Stockfish's evaluation from the attacker's side.
8bAgainst checks from the front
The rule of five
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Win
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Step through the moves with the arrows, or click a move.
Your turn
Each position has one best move. Find it, then check the solution.
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Exercise 1
White to move. Where does the rook go?
Show solution
1.Rg1
1.Rg1! cuts the king off by two files. Every other rook move only draws or loses.
Rook and pawn against rook.
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Exercise 2
White to move. Black checks from a3.
Show solution
2.Kf4
2.Kf4 comes forward. 2.Kd4 also wins, but more slowly, and stepping back only draws.
Rook and pawn against rook, after 1…Ra3+.
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Exercise 3
White to move. Black's rook attacks the pawn.
Show solution
3.Kf5
3.Kf5 protects the pawn with the king and keeps the rook on the g-file. Moving the rook off the g-file throws the win away.
Rook and pawn against rook, after 2…Ra4.
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Exercise 4
White to move. White's king has escaped the checks.
Show solution
5.Rd1
5.Rd1! puts the rook behind the pawn. It is the fastest win.
The rule of five, after 4…Rd8.
From history
The rule of five
The rule of five is given by Andrew Soltis and Edmar Mednis, as Wikipedia's article on rook and pawn against rook reports. Like any rule of thumb it has exceptions: André Chéron showed in 1923 that with a knight pawn the same position is only a draw.
Take these into your games
Cut the king off first
Before advancing the pawn, put your rook between the defending king and the pawn.
Count to five
Pawn rank plus files cut off: more than five usually wins, five or less is normally a draw.
Forward under checks
When the checks come, step towards the pawn, not away from it.
Keep the cut
The king protects the pawn; the rook stays on its file. Moving it lets the defending king back.
Watch the edge
With knight and rook pawns, the attacking king may have no room to hide from checks. Count the files on both sides.