When the white rook’s pawn is not blocked on the second rank, converting advantage into victory is much more difficult since Black’s freedom of action is greater. Yet, the win is possible provided the king is sufficiently near; in addition to hidden mating motifs also the possibility of defending the pawn from behind may appear. This theme is illustrated well in a study by Puhakka, 1960. It may appear that the white king is hopelessly far away from the endangered pawn which cannot be adequately helped by the knight since the battle will be fought along the rim of the chess-board. However, White to move wins since the defence of the pawn by the knight from the rear will enable him to gain the precious time for transferring the king nearer to the pawn.
