Lucena, not so simple?

Lucena is the most important position in Rook & Pawn vs Rook endings, so why do most books use only one or two diagrams to explain it?


Let's begin with a quiz. White to move. If you had the White pieces, which of the above positions could you win over the board?

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You should win them all. If that surprises you, read this Lucena lesson.

You win Rook & Pawn vs Rook if your pawn is on the 7th rank, your king is in front of it, and you have the move. Rook pawns are exceptions.


Let's try another quiz. Black to move. If you had the White pieces, which of the above positions could you win over the board?

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Draw. Black can draw by checking the White king from the side. 1...Ra8+! 2.Kd7 Ra7+! 3.Kd6 Ra6+! 4.Kc5 Re6 =.



Win! The Black king is misplaced on the eighth rank. 1...Ra8+ 2.Kd7 Ra7+ 3.Kd6 Ra6+ 4.Kc5 Re6 5.Rf8+! Kg7 6.e8=Q Rxe8 7.Rxe8 1-0.



Win! The Black rook is misplaced on the b-file. 1...Rb8+ 2.Kd7 Rb7+ 3.Kd6 Rb6+ 4.Kc7 Re6 Kd7 1-0. The rook requires three squares of checking distance, and in this case it only has two... a fatal problem.

If Black realizes that flank checks won't work, he may try a more sophisticated defense. 1...Rb8+ 2.Kd7 Rb7+ 3.Kd6 Rb8 4.Kc7 Ra8 5.Ra2!! Rxa2 6.e8=Q +/-. Now White needs to win a Queen vs Rook ending.



Win! But, you couldn't prove it over the board, so "Draw" gets the credit. As proof, 13 out of 14 top titled players failed to solve it within an hour.

This is a great illustration of how complex such endings can be. If you're curious about the solution, read about it at The Chess Mind.

Generally, you win Rook & Pawn vs Rook if your pawn is on the 7th rank and your king is in front of it, even without the move. Rook pawns are exceptions.

I hope this helped you learn more about Lucena.  :)