The rook's pawn is lesson 4 of 6 in Endgame 2: King and pawn, an endgame course suited to players rated around 800 (beginners). A pawn on the a- or h-file cannot win if the defending king reaches the corner: there is no room to go round. It has 6 interactive exercises: 6 calculated lines from real positions. You play every move on a board and get feedback straight away. The lesson is free.
What you practise
Black to move: hold the draw. (3 positions)
White to move: hold the draw. (3 positions)
Worked examples
Black to move: hold the draw. 1...Kc4 2.a5 Kd5 3.a6 Kc6. With a rook's pawn, the king in front of it cannot be driven out. This is a draw (checked with endgame tables). After Kd4 the position would be lost.
White to move: hold the draw. 1.Kf4 Kh4 2.Kf5 Kg3 3.Kg6. With a rook's pawn, the king in front of it cannot be driven out. This is a draw (checked with endgame tables). After Ke5 the position would be lost.
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