CCLA Server Chess

Rook and Two Pawns vs
Rook and One Pawn

First, let’s look at a diagram to see what type of position we will be analyzing.

This is a diagram No. 731 from page 346 of Basic Chess Endings² and is a composition by GM Fine. Fine notes: “Draw. The rook cannot be driven off the eighth rank. Exchanging pawns leads to nothing, and a move such as 1. h6 is similarly fruitless.” So, GM Fine says this is draw and does not bother to give any variations. The key to understanding why this position is a draw and how to play out this position lies in a slightly simpler, but similar ending – rook and pawn vs rook. Here is an excerpt from an endgame article in The Chess Correspondent (April-June 2021) (3) that will help us to understand why Diagram No.1 is a draw. The original diagrams came from Lev Alburt on page 201 of Chess for the Gifted and Busy¹, to illustrate when the inferior side has a rock-solid draw.

Alburt notes “Here it’s a draw,regardless of who’s on the move, as long as Black passively (and correctly) keeps his rook on the eighth rank—for example 1. ... Rg7+ Kh8, etc. (but not 1.... Kf8?? 2. Kh7, and White will win).”

Alburt notes “You can see that Black cannot be forced out of the corner here either.” If 1. h7+ , then 1. .... Kh8 and the Black rook will shuttle back and forth until a draw is declared.”

Now we return to the rook and two pawns vs rook and pawn ending given above in Diagram No. 1. We can easily see what GM Fine meant when he noted that exchanging pawns leads to nothing. For example, 1. g6 hxg6 2. hxg6, compare this position to Diagram No. 2 and you can see the draw. Or, 1. g6 hxg6 2. Kxg6 and you have a version of Diagram No. 3, also a draw. So, it is clear that rook and two pawns vs rook and pawn positions of the type in Diagram No.1 are draws as there is no way to gain an advantage by exchanging pawns. You only end up with a knight or rook pawn version of a rook and pawn vs rook drawn ending as shown in Diagrams 2 and 3. But what about bishop pawns? We must be careful here as the locations of both the kings and pawns play a role.

This is Diagram No. 730 from page 346 of Basic Chess Endings² and is a composition by GM Fine. It is an example of a crushing win when the pawns and king are far advanced. Fine gives: “1. Kf6 Rb6+ 2. e6!, threatening both 3. Ra8+ and 3. Rxf7+, would decide at once.” Astute readers will notice that 2. ... fxe6 3. fxe6 does not allow Black to use the Philidor method to draw, more on this later. As before, we will have to review the rook and pawn vs rook endgame to understand why the above position was impossible for Black to defend.

The following excerpt is from an endgame article in the The Chess Correspondent (October-December 2021)⁴. “So, is all lost for the inferior side when we have a bishop pawn? Not at all. Mueller and Lamprecht now show when the inferior side can hold the draw against a bishop pawn. It is called Philidor’s position or method. Mueller and Lamprecht consider this technique to be the most important position in the entire Fundamental Chess Endings volume⁵!

This is Diagram No. 6.33 on page 177 of Fundamental Chess Endings⁵. It is attributed to a 1777 study published by Andre Philidor (1726-1795), a French musician and composer who happened to be one of the strongest chess players in the world.

The key difference in the Philidor position is that the pawn has not reached the sixth rank. This is a crucial aspect of the position. The method depends on the pawn not having reached the sixth rank. Reuben Fine sums up the general approach on page 151 of Chess the Easy Way, David McKay Company, New York, 1942. Fine gives “The general draw is achieved by keeping the rook on the third rank until the pawn reaches the sixth, and then by playing to the eighth.” Note that Fine means Black’s third rank – the sixth rank in algebraic notation – and Black’s eighth rank – the first rank in algebraic notation. (Fine’s original book is in English descriptive notation.)

For diagram No. 5, Mueller and Lamprecht give “1. ... Rb6! 2. f6 There is no other try. A rook exchange results in a drawn pawn ending and other ideas are answered by ... Kf7 or waiting moves by the rook on the third rank. 2.... Rb1(!) Once the pawn has advanced, White lacks a shield against checks from behind, and Black immediately exploits this. 3. Kg6 Rg1+ 4. Kf5 Rf1+ 5. Ke6 Re1+ =.”

Going back to Diagram No. 4, the variation 1. Kf6 Rb6+ 2. e6! fxe6 3. fxe6 puts the remaining White pawn on the sixth rank and prevents Black from using the Philidor method to draw. Let’s look at a position where the Philidor method is available.

This is diagram No. 728 from page 345 of Basic Chess Endings², Reshevsky-Apsenieks, Kemeri, 1937. GM Fine notes: “Draw. White tried 1. Re4 Rb3 2. Ra4 Rb6 3.Kg3 Rb3 4. Ra6+ Kg5 5. Ra5+ Kf6 6. Rf5+ Kg6 7. Rc5 Ra3 8. Rd5 Kf6 9. Kf4 Ra4+ etc. No real progress could be made.” Note that White can’t force pawn exchanges, for example, 1. g5 hxg5+ 2. Rxg5 Rxf3 3. Kxf3 Kxg5, draw. Also note that if the White g4 and Black h6 pawn were gone, Black still has the Philidor plan for drawing the game.

In summary, the key to understanding how to play rook and two pawns vs rook and pawn endings is based in a large part on complete mastery of rook and pawn vs rook endings. It is worthwhile to begin by reviewing the two articles from The Chess Correspondent^3,4. After that, study the appropriate chapters of Basic Chess Endings² and Fundamental Chess Endings⁵ for further details on both rook and two pawns vs rook and pawn and rook and pawn vs rook endgames.

1. Alburt, Lev, Lawrence, Al, Chess for the Gifted and Busy, Second Revised Edition, W.W. Norton, New York, 2015.

2. Fine, Reuben, Basic Chess Endings, David McKay Company, New York, 1941, Benko Revised Edition, Random House, New York, 2003.

3 . Holmer, Arthur, T h e C h e s s Correspondent, April-June 2021, V94, N2, p. 48.

4 . Holmer, Arthur, T h e C h e s s Correspondent, October-December 2021, V94, N4, p. 91.

5. Mueller, Karsten, Lamprecht, Frank, Fundamental Chess Endings, Gambit Publications, London, 2001.