Win within 14 moves · You play white
ProThe most important winning position in rook endgames: the attacking king stands in front of its pawn on the 7th rank and the defending king is cut off. White escapes the checks by "building a bridge" with the rook.
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Lucena position is part of Pro, with all 20 endgames.
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The Lucena is the position every winning attempt in rook and pawn against rook steers towards. The white king has reached e8 in front of its pawn on e7; the black king on g7 is cut off by the rook on f1; the black rook on a2 waits to check. Fourteen moves to win it.
Picture the king just stepping off e8: a check, down a rank, another check, down again. Every check costs you a move while the pawn goes nowhere, and they only stop when the king can hide behind a piece. So prepare the piece first: put the rook on the fourth rank, then walk the king down the d-file taking the checks. When it reaches the fifth rank, the rook slides across to block the next one. The checks run out and the pawn queens.
A single rook check first, driving the black king one more file away, makes the walk shorter and the shelter safer; the further the defending king is cut off, the easier the win. Where it goes wrong: moving the king out before the rook is placed, or placing it on a rank that blocks nothing.
Play White. Choose whether to check first or build the bridge straight away; both work, and the hint will tell you if the rook landed on the wrong rank. Then bring the king out and let the checks come. Promoting inside fourteen moves is the pass mark.
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