The Vancura position: drawing against the rook's pawn

A rook's pawn on the sixth rank, with its rook in front of it, looks dangerous. The Vancura defence draws it with one idea: put your rook on the sixth rank and attack the pawn from the side. White's rook is tied to the pawn, and White's king can't come to help without walking into checks.

The defence, played out

You have Black. White's a-pawn is on a6, with the rook on a8 in front of it; your king is on g6 and your rook on f3.

Black to move. Step through the defence.

Attack the pawn from the side

1...Rf6! The only move that holds. Your rook attacks the pawn from the side, so White's rook has to stay where it guards it. Other rook moves let the pawn advance: 1...Rc3? a7, and White wins.

King on g7 or h7

2...Kh7. Keep your king near g7 and h7, out of the rook's checks and close enough to help. Don't take the pawn: 2...Rxa6? Rxa6+ loses your rook for it.

Check the king from the side

As White's king comes towards the pawn, 5...Rf4+ checks it from the side. Then back to the sixth with check, 7...Rf6+, attacking the pawn again, and 8...Rf5+: keep checking from the side. The king can't get near your rook, the checks go on, and White's king has nowhere to hide. A draw.

The idea to remember

Against a rook's pawn on the sixth with the rook in front of it: rook on the sixth rank, attacking the pawn from the side; king near g7 and h7; and when White's king comes, check it from the side.

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 rook endings: short side, long side and the Philidor position. 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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