The frontal defence (the rook in front of the passer) saves many rook endings - but only when the defending side's king is nearby. If it is cut off or simply far away, the rook alone is not enough: the stronger king supports the pawn and it gets through.
Here White has the king on d3, a pawn on d4 and the rook on b1; Black has the king on a6 (far away) and the rook on d8 in front of the pawn. White to move, and White wins (per the tablebases): the black king is too far off, and the frontal rook does not hold the pawn.
The lesson: drawing techniques only work as a package with an active king. When assessing a defence, always check whether your own king gets across in time to support it.
Drag a piece onto the board, or click a piece and then click the squares. The cross beside the pieces sweeps every piece of that colour off the board, and a single piece can be dragged off the edge.
The pieces will be arranged into the chosen pattern.
It is the mating side to move. Find mate in one.
Openings, endgame positions and breakthrough studies - the set-up appears on the board.
The enemy king walks right up and drives the rook off the blockading square. If there is nowhere to retreat, the pawn goes through.
The active one: checks from the long side, or the rook behind the pawn. A passive blockade only works with your own king in support.
If the weaker side's king is cut off from the queening square by three files or more and the rook cannot start checking in time.
Build your own position in the board editor, read up on the rules of chess or run a tournament on your own positions in the free app.
The Vibe Chess app is built for an evening over the board, not for online play: it keeps the sign-up list, the pairings and the table while you deal with people and the venue. All of it free.
score groups, no rematches, no two byes in a row
everyone plays everyone, the app works out the number of rounds
who is free and who is already at a board is shown under Now
Sign up to the Vibe Chess bot on Telegram - it carries the schedule of meetups and chess events across the cities we run in.
