How to checkmate with a rook: the waiting move

King and rook against king is always a win. The rook keeps the king on the edge of the board, and the mate comes when the two kings face each other, so your king covers the squares in front. The trick that makes it work is the waiting move.

The method, played out

Black's king is already on the back rank, held there by the rook on the seventh.

White to move. Step through to the mate.

The waiting move

The kings don't face each other yet, so a check now would let the king out. Instead, 1.Rb7 moves the rook along the seventh rank. The king is still stuck on the eighth, and it has to move: if it goes to d8, facing your king, Rb8 is mate. If it runs the other way, your king follows.

Follow the king

2.Ke6, 3.Kf6, 4.Kg6. Your king walks alongside, one rank below, keeping step with Black's king, while the rook stays on the seventh. When the king comes back to g8, the kings face each other, and 5.Rb8 is mate.

The mistakes

Moving the rook next to the king. Rf7 or Rg7 next to an unguarded king just loses the rook: Kxf7, and it's a draw.
Stalemate. With Black's king on h8 and yours on g6, Rg7?? is stalemate. Rook moves that take away the king's last square need a second look.

The idea to remember

The rook mates on the edge when the kings face each other. When they don't, make a waiting move with the rook on the same rank, and the king has to walk into the mate or away from it.

Train it

This is one of the endgame techniques OptiChess teaches as a walkthrough: the moves play themselves until a moment that matters, then you find the move, checked against the tablebase. More endings are in the chess endgame trainer.

Try it. Real positions, set at your level, every answer checked against the board. No account needed to start.

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