Rook(s) and King vs King

Two Rooks and a King vs a King
This is a very simple mate. You don't have to use your king at all, which makes it double easy. The object is to drive the king to one of the four edges of the board. One rook is used to stop the king from backtracking while the other delivers the checks to push the king to the side. If the King attacks you. Move away. It is a common sense mate.

One Rook and A King vs a King
This mate is a bit uncomfortable as your opponents king can get slippery and prove hard to sheperd. For these types of mates an understanding of The Opposition is needed. The opposition is just the fact that since a king cannot move inside the attacking range of another king it must move away. You use your rook to stop your opponents king from moving away from the corner your pushing him/her towards. The object of the mate is to get your opponents king into one the corners. The mate looks like this.

 --- --- ---
|   |WK |   |
 --- --- ---
|   |   |   |
 --- --- ---
|WR |   |BK |
 --- --- ---

Here is the notation of a typical One rookmate. White King is on e4 with the white rook on f3. The black king is on g2. Notice the way that the King and rook move in order to push the black king.

1. Ke3 Kg1
2. Rf2 Kh1
3. Kf3 Kg1
4. Kg3 Kh1
5. Rf1++

That's how it's done.

Endgames in Chess
Chess Openings

Rook and King vs King Puzzle One: White to move, mate in two

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
8				♚					8
7									7
6					♔				6
5						♖			5
4									4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H

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One Rook and King vs King

An endgame comprised of a single Rook and King versus a King is one of the more common endgames, especially among lower rating Classes (beginners). Within an endgame with so few pieces remaining on the board, each King is forced to take a more active role and is commonly thought to have a 'perceived' power of about 4 points of material (stronger than a single minor piece, but not so strong as a single Rook). Because no King may make a move which would put it into check, the King alone may not checkmate an opponents King. Because the Rook is a ranged piece which cannot defend the diagonal square approaching it, the Rook alone may not checkmate an opponents King. Working together, the Rook can deliver checkmate while the King is preventing escape in 100% of endgames which liquidate to this three-pieced scenario, so long as the weaker side cannot immediately capture the Rook on their next turn. The only two ways for the stronger side to not succeed would be to:

• Chase the weaker King unsuccessfully around the middle of the board for > 50 moves
• Forget to move your Rook away when the King attacks it

The process by which checkmate is rendered in the single Rook scenario is firstly to push the enemy King to an edge of the board (any edge will suffice), secondly to gain the opposition (have the weaker side end their turn on any edge of the board, two squares away and aligned with the stronger side's king), and finally to move the Rook to that same edge to deliver check and mate from no fewer than two squares distant from the enemy King. Below, please see a brief example of the interactions between the Black King and Rook delivering checkmate to the White King along the A file.

Ra3#

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
8	¤								8
7	¤								7
6	¤	¤	¤	¤					6
5	♔	¤	♚	¤					5
4	¤	¤	¤	¤					4
3	♜								3
2	¤								2
1	¤								1
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H

Once the enemy King is driven to the edge of the board, all that remains of the game is a handshake (you have studied the opposition and solved puzzle one, yes?). The key is driving the King to that edge in the first place. The three keys to doing so are:

• Follow the enemy King with your own, using triangulation or small Rook moves to take and maintain opposition
• If the enemy King selects a move that doesn't bring it closer to the nearer edge, use your Rook to further confine the box of available squares
• Remember to isolate your Rook from your King by at least one rank or file - this will ensure the Rook can safely deliver checkmate instead of being captured

Below I create an annotated example of how a possible endgame may play out, showing black targets (¤) for the possible squares the Black King may move to and blue targets (¤) for the squares which White controls.

Starting position of example

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
8				¤					8
7				¤					7
6				¤	¤	¤			6
5				¤	♚	¤			5
4				¤	¤	¤			4
3				¤	♔	¤			3
2	¤	¤	¤	♖	¤	¤	¤	¤	2
1				¤					1
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H

Move	White	Black	Annotation
1	Ke3	Kf5	1... Ke6 is met by 2.Ke4 to maintain opposition; 1... Kf6 by 2.Kf4 as well.
2	Rd5+	Ke6	2...Kg4 is only one square away from the edge. Moving up to the 6th rank has slightly more breathing room, and only e6 allows the king to attack the rook
3	Ke4	Kf6	White's move is forced in that it is desirable to both defend the Rook, and not give the enemy King any additional squares back. Black is in zugzwang and must move away from the Rook... the f file is equally poor being two squares from each edge. We have the same relative position as after move 1, but Black has fewer safe squares remaining
4	Rd6+	Kg7	Black realizes that the Rook cannot be won, so takes the distant opposition. Isolated by one empty rank or file, the King is on a square of opposite color. White will not be able to take direct opposition on its next turn!
5	Re6	Kf7	The Rook constricts the box of available squares yet again, the King tries to stay off an edge, but has run out of tactics
6	Kf5	Kg7	White moves in to defend Rook. Black is in a dilemma. Either move onto the 8th rank and test White's final execution, or create an all too familiar pattern...
7	Re7+	...	This check gives the King no option - he now must retreat to the edge of the board. Note the 'waiting move' of the Rook in both variants below

Position in Variation 1 after 9... Kf8

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
8					♖	♚	¤		8
7					♖	¤	¤	¤	7
6					¤		♔		6
5					¤				5
4					¤				4
3					¤				3
2					¤				2
1					¤				1
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H

Move	White	Black	Annotation
7var1	Re7+	Kf8	Black elects to gain some distance from White's King
8var1	Kf6	Kg8	White takes the opposition, Black has one legal move.
9var1	Kg6	Kf8	White takes the opposition, Black avoids 9...Kh8 10.Re8#... temporarily, at least
10var1	ReX	Kg8	White must move their Rook, to any square in the e file except for e8. This creates a barrier which the Black King cannot pass through. Black has only one legal move...
11var1	Re8#	1-0	Checkmate.

Position in Variation 2 after 9. Re4

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
8									8
7							¤		7
6						♔	¤	¤	6
5							¤	♚	5
4					♖	¤	¤	¤	4
3									3
2									2
1									1
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H

Move	White	Black	Annotation
7var2	Re7+	Kh6	Black decides to test White's theory of the opposition
8var2	Kf6	Kh5	White instantly takes the opposition. Black flees towards the first rank...
9var2	Re4	Kh6	...only to be immediately hemmed in by the Rook, forcing the Black King to the square he'd least like to be on
10var2	Rh4#	1-0	Checkmate.

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Two Rooks and King vs King

To arrive at an endgame two major pieces down is a clear indication that... something has gone very wrong. Typical of a training game with someone brand new to the game, who maybe tried something aggressive in the midgame, which did not pan out well. At high levels of play this endgame would be scarce indeed, with an advantage of one major piece in the endgame likely leading to a resignation. With two Rooks in play, the stronger side's King becomes arbitrary and is not required for checkmate (in fact, the stronger side's King can either delay {due to limited range} or interfere with {due to breaking rank or file of Rook's control} checkmate).

Below is a diagram of a game on the brink of checkmate.

White to move (1.Rg8#)

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
8		¤	♚	¤		¤	¤		8
7	¤	¤	¤	¤	¤	♖	¤	¤	7
6	¤	¤	¤	¤	¤	¤	♖	¤	6
5						¤	¤		5
4						¤	¤		4
3						¤	¤		3
2			♔			¤	¤		2
1						¤	¤		1
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H

The method to earn checkmate with Two Rooks is to:

• Protect your Rooks (with King, or by moving them to the same rank or file)
• Alternating one Rook then the other, step them one rank or file at a time in the direction of the enemy King (moving towards the edge of the board)
• If the enemy King attacks a Rook diagonally, either defend with other Rook or move the attacked piece as far away as possible (move Rook perpendicularly to the direction in which you are trying to move the enemy King)
• Note: it will often take fewer moves to either defend with the other Rook (zugzwang), or move away. Styles make fights

Rook(s) and King vs King Mate Puzzle Two: White to move, mate in 7

	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H
8									8
7									7
6			♚						6
5									5
4									4
3					♖				3
2				♖					2
1								♔	1
	A	B	C	D	E	F	G	H

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Further instruction Chess

• Chessboard
  
• Chessboard laboratory
  
• Chess notation
  
• Chess Openings
  
• Endgames in Chess
  
• The Opposition, King vs King and single pawn
  

Sources

• A few thousand games of chess
• A few thousand puzzles on ChessTactics
• This chessboard next to my keyboard

Solutions to puzzles

Solution to RKvK Puzzle 1

Move	White	Black	Annotation
1	Rc5	Ke8	The white King creates a press, the Rook cuts off escape
2	Rc8#	1-0	The Rook checks and the black King has no escape

Solution to RKvK Mate Puzzle 2

Move	White	Black	Annotation
1	Re5	Kb6	White creates a pen for the black King. Whichever way the King moves, White will push towards the edge perpendicular to the motion
2	Rd6+	Kc7	Black King attacks the d Rook...
3	Rh6	Kd7	...the Rook dances away. King tries to protect 4.Re7...
4	Ra5	Kc7	...and the other Rook moves to the A file
5	Ra7+	Kb8	The black King does not have the range to protect the squares it needs to in order to survive
6	Rg7	Kc8	With both Rooks at range, the black King has no hope
7	Rh8#	1-0	The Rook checks and the black King has no escape