King and rook is lesson 3 of 3 in Basic checkmates, a checkmate course suited to players rated around 550 (complete beginners). With one rook it takes a bit longer, but the plan is simple. It has 2 interactive exercises: 1 find-the-move puzzle, 1 exercise playing out a mate. You play every move on a board and get feedback straight away. The lesson is free.
What this lesson explains
Cut the king off with the rook, walk your king up until the two kings face each other, then check from the side. Here the kings face each other, so a rook check on the 8th rank is mate.
What you practise
Checkmate in one.
Checkmate with king and rook.
Worked examples
Checkmate with king and rook. Brilliant! You can now win with queen, rook or two rooks.
chessGM