Mate with king and rook
In short
The rook mate takes longer than the queen mate and needs real teamwork. The rook cuts the enemy king off along a rank or file, and your king walks towards it.
By the end you can
- Mate with K+R vs K
- Use opposition of kings to drive the king back
The lesson
The rook mate takes longer than the queen mate and needs real teamwork. The rook cuts the enemy king off along a rank or file, and your king walks towards it. When the two kings stand face to face (opposition) with one square between them, a rook check along the edge drives the enemy king back one more row.
If the kings are not facing each other, make a waiting move with the rook along its line, keeping the cut-off. Repeat the pattern — cut, approach, check in opposition — until the king is on the last rank and the check is mate.
Key points to remember
- Rook cuts the king off
- Your king approaches
- Check when the kings face each other
- Waiting moves with the rook keep the cut-off
Examples
Show the moves
1. Kd2 Ke5 2. Kd3 Kd5 3. Re1 Kc5 4. Re4 Kb5 5. Kd4 Kb4 6. Re6 Kb3 7. Rc6 Kb4
Homework
Win K+R vs K against the engine three times; time yourself.
More checkmates lessons
- Checkmate and stalemate (Foundation)
- First mating patterns (Foundation)
- Mate with king and queen (Novice)
- Ladder mate and classic patterns (Novice)
- Mate in two (Class F)
- Mating attacks in three moves (Class E)