[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.12.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6R1/k5P1/8/8/8/8/K7/6r1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "10"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{[#]} 1. Kb3 Kb7 2. Kc4 Ka7 (2... Kc7 $4 3. Ra8 $1 $18) 3. Kd5 Kb7 4. Ke5 Ka7 5. Kf6 Rf1+ $11 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.12.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "6R1/k5P1/8/8/8/8/K1P5/6r1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "5"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{[#]} 1. c4 Kb7 2. c5 Rg6 3. c6+ $1 $18 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4K3/4P1k1/8/8/8/8/r7/5R2 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "13"]

{This situation is usually called The Lucena Position, but the Portuguese J. Lucena did not analyze it in his book dated 1497. A similar position first occurred in the book by Salvio (1634). If White is on move he wins:} 1. Rg1+ {[%mdl 1]} ({It is worth mentioning that White has other winning options:} 1. Re1 $1 $18) (1. Rg1+ Kh7 2. Rd1 $1 $18 {(the immediate 1 Rd1 is also good)} Kg7 3. Kd7 Ra7+ 4. Ke6 Ra6+ 5. Rd6 Ra8 6. Rd8 $18) 1... Kh7 2. Rg4 $1 (2. Kf7 {is premature in view of} Rf2+ 3. Ke6 Re2+ 4. Kf6 Rf2+ {and the king has only one way to take refuge from rook checks: by returning to e8. The rook move prepares an interference at e4. This method is called building a bridge, or simply bridging.}) 2... Rd2 (2... Ra8+ 3. Kf7) 3. Kf7 Rf2+ 4. Ke6 Re2+ 5. Kf6 Rf2+ ({If} 5... Re1 {then} 6. Rg5 {and 7 Re5.}) 6. Ke5 Re2+ 7. Re4 $18 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "????.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "4K3/4P1k1/8/8/8/8/r7/5R2 b - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "7"]

{Now let us see what happens if Black is on move.} 1... Ra8+ {[%mdl 1]} 2. Kd7 Ra7+ 3. Kd6 Ra6+ 4. Kc7 (4. Kc5 Re6) 4... Ra7+ {with a draw. Let us shift all the pieces except for the black rook a single file to left. Then the side checks do not help anymore because the rook is not remote enough from the white pawn: 1...Ra8+ 2 Kc7 Ra7+ 3 Kc8 Ra8+ 4 Kb7+-. Hence we can conclude: 1) If the pawn is on the 7th rank, multiple winning methods exist. The most important ones are building a bridge for protection from checks along files and a rook maneuver for protection from side checks along ranks. 2) When the king of the weaker side is cut off from the pawn, the only defensive technique consists in side checks. 3) A rook pursuit of the enemy king can only be successful when the rook and the pawn are separated at minimum by 3 lines. As we shall see later, this rule does not only pertain to side checks. 4) A central or a bishop pawn divides the chessboard into two unequal parts: one is "long," another is "short." The correct positioning of forces for the weaker side is to keep the king on the short side, and the rook – on the long side.} *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1975.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "1-0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "8/7k/4KP2/8/8/3R4/8/2r5 w - - 0 90"]
[PlyCount "3"]
[EventDate "1975.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,3,497,175,219,195]} 90. Rh3+ $2 {[%mdl 49152] He should not move the rook away from the d-file where it was protecting the king from side checks.} ({An easy win was} 90. f7 $1 Rc8 (90... Kg7 91. Rg3+) (90... Re1+ 91. Kf6 Rf1+ 92. Ke7 Re1+ 93. Kf8 Ra1 94. Rh3+ Kg6 95. Kg8 $18) 91. Ke7 Rc7+ 92. Rd7 $18) 90... Kg6 91. Rg3+ {Black resigned; as he failed to recognize that the position had become drawn:} (91. Rg3+ Kh7 92. f7 Rc8 $1 ({Rather than} 92... Rc6+ $2 93. Kd7 $18) 93. Ke7 (93. Rd3 Kg7) 93... Rc7+ 94. Ke8 Rc8+ 95. Kd7 Ra8 $11) 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1953.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "1-0"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "7k/2r1KP2/8/8/8/8/8/6R1 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "9"]
[EventDate "1953.??.??"]

{[%evp 0,9,221,545,545,545,545,555,555,527,527,547]} {The unlucky placement of the king kills Black (with the king on h7 it would have been a draw); in addition, his rook is too close to the f-pawn. But it is by no means easy for White to exploit these disadvantages.} 1. Kf6 $1 {[%mdl 4096]} Rc6+ 2. Ke5 Rc8 ({If} 2... Rc5+ {then} 3. Kd6 Rc8 4. Re1 $1 Kg7 5. Re8 $18 {With a rook on b8, the saving check 5...Rb6+ exists.}) 3. Rg6 $3 Kh7 4. Rc6 $1 Ra8 5. Kf6 {The rook protects the king from side checks. Black is helpless against the maneuver Re6-e8.} 1-0

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.12.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r5k1/8/5PK1/8/8/8/8/1R6 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "7"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{[#]} 1. Rb7 $1 Rc8 2. Rg7+ $1 (2. Rh7 Rc6 $11) 2... Kf8 (2... Kh8 3. Rh7+ Kg8 $18) 3. Rh7 Kg8 4. f7+ $18 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.12.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r5k1/8/4KP2/8/8/8/8/1R6 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "4"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{[#]} 1. Rb7 (1. Kf5 Ra2 $11) 1... Kf8 2. Kf5 Ra1 $1 $11 *

[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.12.06"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Black "Theoretical rook endgames"]
[Result "*"]
[SetUp "1"]
[FEN "r5k1/8/6PK/8/8/8/8/1R6 w - - 0 1"]
[PlyCount "6"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]

{[#]} 1. Rb7 Rc8 2. Rg7+ Kh8 3. Rh7+ Kg8 $11 *