Primary defensive drawing technique when down a pawn in a rook endgame.
Why it matters
Philidor is the defence that holds a rook endgame a pawn down. It is the position to aim for when you are worse, and it draws against any attempt as long as you know both halves of it.
The method is two rules, not a calculation. Keep your rook on the third rank so the enemy king cannot get to the sixth; the moment the pawn advances to the sixth, drop the rook to the back rank and check from behind forever.
See it on a board
The rook sits on the sixth rank until the pawn arrives there. The moment it does, the rook drops to the back rank, where the checks never run out.
Checked: the position really has the feature described.
How to play it
- Get your king in front of the pawn, on the promotion square if possible.
- Put your rook on your third rank and shuffle it along that rank.
- When the pawn steps to the sixth, it can no longer shield the king from checks: go to the first rank and check from behind.
At each level
The same idea, said the way it is taught at each age.
Bishop · ages 5–7
A pawn down in a rook endgame, put your king in front of the pawn and your rook on the third rank. It is a draw if you keep both.
Rook · ages 6–9
The switch is the part people forget. Staying on the third rank after the pawn reaches the sixth loses; going to the first rank one move early lets the king in.
What goes wrong
- Leaving the rook on the third rank after the pawn has advanced past it.
- Checking from the side too close, where the king simply approaches your rook.
Questions people ask
- How far away should the checking rook be?
- At least three files, so the attacking king cannot walk up and attack it. From behind, on the back rank, distance is what makes the checks endless.