King and rook checkmate

King and rook against a lone king is a win. The rook cuts the king off along a rank or file, and your king opposes the enemy king so the rook can mate on the edge.

  1. Put the rook on a rank or file that the enemy king cannot cross. That rank is a fence.
  2. Bring your king opposite the enemy king, with one square between them. This is opposition. Your king covers the squares the rook needs.
  3. Move the rook to the edge only when your king covers the flight squares. A rook check from the side, with your king one square away, is the usual mate.
  4. Do not stalemate. A rook next to the king on the edge, with your king too far away to cover a flight square, often takes the last move without giving check.

On the board

8
7
6
5
4
3
2
a1
b
c
d
e
f
g
h

Starting position.

Rook endgame puzzles

These are puzzles tagged for that material, not a claim that every one is this exact ending. Theme page

Loading puzzles.