Queen and king coordinate to trap rook
This is a Black-to-move Material imbalances endgame study. With best play, the result is white wins; the solution runs 10 half-moves.
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Queen and king coordinate to trap rook is a Material imbalances endgame study from the Climbchess curated set of 80 positions. With your king advanced and queen active, coordinate to restrict the opponent's rook and achieve victory through superior piece placement.
Position: Black to move. Result with best play: white wins. Solution length: 10 half-moves.
FEN: 8/2K5/r7/8/8/7Q/8/4k3 b - - 0 1
Solving guide (move by move)
Show step-by-step solution
Try the position yourself first — endgame technique compounds when you struggle through the calculation before peeking.
- Black:
e1d2 - White:
h3g2 - Black:
d2c3 - White:
g2f3 - Black:
c3d4 - White:
f3f4 - Black:
d4d5 - White:
f4d2 - Black:
d5c5 - White:
d2c3
About Material imbalances
Q vs R, R vs minor, fortress, underpromotion, extra pawns.
Related endgames
Underlying chess concepts
Endgame technique reduces to a small number of recurring patterns: opposition, key squares, zugzwang, fortress, breakthrough. Climbchess catalogues 4,505 interpretable patterns extracted from Leela Chess Zero via sparse autoencoders. Browse the methodology or jump straight into the trainer to attempt this exact position interactively.
Frequently asked
Is this position a win, draw or loss?
With best play: white wins. Black moves first.
What is the key idea?
With your king advanced and queen active, coordinate to restrict the opponent's rook and achieve victory through superior piece placement.
How long is the solution?
10 half-moves (5 full moves) of forced or near-forced play.
Where can I practise it?
Open the Climbchess trainer using the deep-link button — the position loads pre-set so you can play it out against the engine.