[Event "?"] [Site "?"] [Date "2025.10.07"] [Round "?"] [White "Attacking R in front of pawn, Drawn"] [Black "Lateral Defence"] [Result "*"] [Annotator "peter"] [SetUp "1"] [FEN "R7/6k1/8/8/P6P/6K1/8/2r5 b - - 0 1"] [PlyCount "45"] [EventDate "2025.??.??"] [SourceVersionDate "2025.10.07"] {[%evp 0,45,175,213,193,243,240,246,243,250,250,256,257,257,246,250,249,257,257,257,257,257,257,257,257,257,257,257,263,255,263,263,257,250,5,5,6,6,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5,5]} {[#]} 1... Rc4 {Black ties the white rook to defence of the a-pawn and leaves open the option of lateral checks} (1... Ra1 $2 {This loses} 2. a5 Ra4 3. a6 Kh7 4. h5 Kg7 5. Kf3 Kh7 6. Ke3 Kh6 7. Kd3 Kh7 (7... Kxh5 8. a7 Kg6 9. Rg8+) 8. Kc3 Kh6 (8... Kg7 9. Kb3 Ra1 10. Kb4 Rf1 11. h6+ Kh7 12. Ra7+ Kxh6 13. Rb7 Ra1 14. a7 Kg6 15. Kc5 Kf6 16. Kd6 Ra2 17. Kc7 Ke7 18. Kb8+ $18) 9. Kb3 Ra1 10. Kb4 {this is won even without the h-pawn - the black king is too far away and Black cannot switch to the lateral defence}) (1... Rc5 $2 2. Re8 $1 $18 (2. Rd8 $1 Rc3+ 3. Kf2 (3. Kf4 Rc4+ $11) 3... Rc4 $11) 2... Rc4 (2... Kf7 3. Re4 $18) (2... Rc3+ 3. Kf4 Rc4+ 4. Re4 $18) (2... Ra5 3. Re4 $18) 3. a5 Rc5 (3... Ra4 4. Re5 $18) 4. a6 Ra5 5. Re6 $18) 2. a5 (2. Kf3 Rxh4 $11) (2. h5 Rc5 3. a5 Rxh5 $11 4. Kf4 Kh7 5. a6 Rh6 6. Ke5 (6. a7 Ra6 7. Ke5 Ra1 8. Kd6 Rd1+ {etc}) 6... Rg6 $11 {the tidiest defence. With his last 3 moves Black has set up lateral checks if the white king approaches the pawn. If the pawn advances to a7 then Black switches to defence from the rear.}) 2... Rc5 (2... Ra4 $2 3. a6 $18 Kh7 4. h5 Kg7 5. Kf3 Kh6 6. Ke3 Kxh5) 3. a6 (3. Kf4 Rc4+ 4. Ke5 (4. Kg5 Rc5+ 5. Kg4 Rc4+) 4... Rxh4 5. Kd6 Rh5 {keep attacking the a-pawn so the white rook can not escape from in front of the pawn} 6. a6 Rh6+ 7. Kc7 Rf6 {get the rook the right side of the black king so it can give lateral checks on the 7th rank}) 3... Rc6 4. Kf4 Kh7 5. Ke5 Kg7 6. Kd5 Rf6 7. Kc5 Kh7 8. h5 Kg7 9. h6+ {a nice try but...} Kh7 $1 (9... Kxh6 $2 10. a7 Ra6 11. Rh8+ $18) (9... Rxh6 $2 {now the rook is the wrong side of the black king and cannot give a lateral check on the 7th rank} 10. Kb5 {The king is defending the a-pawn and now this is won} Rh5+ (10... Rf6 11. Rd8 $18) (10... Rh1 11. Rc8 $18 Rb1+ 12. Kc6 Rc1+ 13. Kb7 Rb1+ 14. Ka8 $18) 11. Kb6 Rh6+ 12. Kb7 $18) 10. Kb5 Rf5+ 11. Kc6 Rf6+ 12. Kb7 Rf7+ $11 13. Kb8 Rf8+ 14. Kb7 Rf7+ $11 {Black keeps checking. If White approaches the rook, then Black can grab the pawn as the White king will be too far from the a-pawn.} 15. Kc6 Rf6+ 16. Kd7 {now that the king is further away from the a-pawn, Black can grab the h-pawn} (16. Kd5 Rxh6 17. a7 Ra6 $11 18. Kc5 Ra1 $11) 16... Rxh6 17. a7 (17. Kc7 Rg6 {back to lateral checks as the pawn has not yet reached a7} (17... Rh1 $2 $18)) 17... Ra6 18. Kc7 Ra1 {and now Black uses rear checks} 19. Kb7 Rb1+ 20. Kc6 Rc1+ 21. Kb5 Rb1+ 22. Ka4 Ra1+ 23. Kb3 Ra6 $11 *