Endgame guide
How to Checkmate with King and Rook
The rook mate takes longer than the queen mate but follows the same logic: confine the king to an ever-smaller box, use your own king as a partner, and mate on the edge.
Cut off, then walk
Place the rook to fence the enemy king into one region — a rank or file it cannot cross. Then walk your king up. The rook alone cannot make progress; the two pieces work as a team.
The shoulder dance
When the kings face each other one square apart (opposition), a rook check drives the enemy king one rank further back. If the king steps sideways instead, mirror it with your own king. When you run out of useful king moves, make a small waiting move with the rook along its cutting line — the defending king must then walk into opposition.
The final position
Mate arrives on the edge: kings in opposition, rook checking along the back rank.
Watch the fifty-move rule
You have fifty moves without a capture or pawn move to finish. The clean method needs fewer than twenty — but aimless checks can burn through your budget. Confine first, check last.