Rook Pawn vs King — the Drawn Corner
The exception that ruins beginners: with the defending king in the corner, a rook pawn is only a draw — the attacker has no room to escort it. Reach the corner and hold.
What you'll learn
- Why the rook pawn (a- or h-file) is the great drawing exception
- Reaching the corner to set up the stalemate defence
- Exactly when an a/h-pawn wins and when it draws
The technique, move by move
Every line below is verified against an endgame tablebase — perfect play, no guesswork.
The corner stalemate (drawn rook pawn)
1...Kg8 1.h7+ Kh8 2.Kh6
Into the corner — the only drawing move. A rook pawn has no room for its king to escort it.
Corner stalemate (a-pawn)
1...Kb8 1.a7+ Ka8 2.Ka6
Drill the Rook Pawn vs King — the Drawn Corner
Practice randomly served positions and play them out against a perfect tablebase until you hold the draw every time.
Open the Endgame Trainer →Related endgames to master
The first checkmate every player must own. Use the rook to cut the king off and walk your own king up to force the lone king to the edge.
King & Queen vs KingBox the lone king toward a corner with the queen a knight's-move away — and never stalemate. The fastest of the basic mates once the technique clicks.
Two Bishops vs KingCoordinate the bishops into a wall and herd the king to a corner. Trickier than it looks and a classic test of piece harmony.
Bishop & Knight MateThe hardest basic mate — the king can only be mated in a corner matching the bishop's colour. Learn the W-manoeuvre and the 50-move clock stops scaring you.