Queen and Rook Endings the RHP Way

Kicks off with 'How Good is Your Chess.'

Players from this year promoting into a stalemate.

Then our glorious RHP players screwing up Queen and Rook endings.

Blog Post 272

Hi GP,

In A. Beni - J. Littlewood, Lucerne 1963, you offer "White can wrap up neatly with 2.Rc8+ Rxc8 and 3.b7+ but instead has another idea in mind." There's a little more to it, though, isn't there?

I thought for a bit that black draws after 3 ... Kb8 4 bc(Q)+ Kxc8 and either 5 a7 Kb7 or 5 Kb6 Kb8, but of course the win is 4 Kb6! (the point of the game is deliver mate, not promote pawns), and either 5 a7# or 4 ... Rc6+ 5 Kxc6 Ka7 6 Kc7 and 7 b8(Q).

Hi chessicle,

You are correct. I'll make it clearer with a PGN thingy.

A. Beni - J. Littlewood, Lucerne 1963


This is the other line.

Greenpawn,
How are you? Is it true that King & Queen against King & Rook is always a win as long as no stalemate occurs as long as the player with the upper hand knows the method of mating against a pesky Rook?

Do you have any standard positions that you could tell us about where the Queen moves to particular files and/or squares depending on the positions of the King & Rook? Is it true that if a player doesn't know how to position his or her Queen, the Rook and continue to be a pest or a block against check mate?

Hi KingonPoint,

It is a win even with best play by the Rook player.
However doing it is a task that GM's have been known to falter.

I do not know of any set key set up's to force the King and Rook onto the back rank
but once the King is there you as the Queen player must watch for stalemate chances
as given in that blog.

Then it's down to ideas nicked from Philidor. Here Black to play.



Black has one move with his King. 1...Kh6 when 2.Qf8 pins the Rook but also
find the wins with 2.Qh8+ and Qe3+

That leaves seven sensible Black Rook moves 1..Rg4 1...Rg3 1..Rg2 1...Rg1 1..Rc7 1...Rb7 and 1..Ra7.

White wins in each case by Queen checking and forking the Rook or mating the King.

You have to go through each one. They are fairly easy once you have done two or
three of the Rook moves and patterns start to stick.

Mess about with that position you will pick up ideas.