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In case of the passive white rook, mate motifs are not the only source from which Black draws hidden saving possibilities. Perpetual check motifs combined with tying the enemy rook to defend the pawns appear much more often in tournament practice. This happens in situations where the white rook is awkwardly placed in front […]
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When the black king is caught in “Philidor’s trap”, then the pawn has no special meaning because White can “ignore” it when leading a mating attack. We see such a case in the ending of the game Velikhanli-Vdovin, USSR 1970.
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The rook and pawn usually draw easily against the rook and the bishop. Only positions in which the black king is in an unenviable position and when the pawn interferes with his own pieces in achieving a theoretical draw position, are critical. When Black has or can achieve one of the basic draw positions, […]
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An interesting case when the pawn first hinders White in performing a mate attack, and then makes it impossible for Black to defend with side checks, was shown by A. Mandler in a study published in 1927.
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We see a more complex case in Hasek’s study from 1929.
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A pawn can also be fatal when it interferes with a rook in performing the saving lateral or back attack. A simple case occurred in the game Chistyakov-Kremenetsky, USSR 1968.
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In a similar position, White wins if he has at least one more free file on his left flank (V. Chekhover 1957).
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White cannot do anything in the next similar position (V. Chekhover 1957).
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3.2. Rook and Knight against Rook, with pawns The presence of pawns in these positions, especially on the stronger side, fundamentally changes the balance of power. Victory no longer has to be achieved only by a direct mate attack or by winning an awkwardly placed enemy rook, but can also be achieved by promoting […]
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Poor rook position on the c-file is the cause of defeat in the next position (A. Cheron 1964).
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