Rook and pawn endgame: passing pawn advantage
This is a White-to-move Rook endings endgame study. With best play, the result is black wins; the solution runs 10 half-moves.
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Rook and pawn endgame: passing pawn advantage is a Rook endings endgame study from the Climbchess curated set of 80 positions. Black's advanced passed pawn on h2 overwhelms White's rook. Passed pawns far from the action often decide rook endings.
Position: White to move. Result with best play: black wins. Solution length: 10 half-moves.
FEN: 5r2/8/8/R1K2p2/5P2/5k2/7p/8 w - - 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.
- White:
a5a3 - Black:
f3g4 - White:
a3a1 - Black:
g4f4 - White:
c5b4 - Black:
f8h8 - White:
a1h1 - Black:
f4g3 - White:
b4b3 - Black:
f5f4
About Rook endings
Lucena, Philidor, Vancura — the most common practical endgames.
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: black wins. White moves first.
What is the key idea?
Black's advanced passed pawn on h2 overwhelms White's rook. Passed pawns far from the action often decide rook endings.
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.