Chess Puzzle #iwGm6 — Advanced, Black to move, endgame

Position

White: king h2; rook g8; pawns g2/h3. Black: king e7; rook e4; pawns f7/g6/g7. Black is ahead by 1 point of material. Black to move.

Solution (3 moves)

1. Opponent setup: Rxg7 — rook g8→g7, captures pawn. Now Black to move.
2. Best move: Kf8 — king e7→f8. Opponent replies Rh7 (rook g7→h7).
3. Best move: Kg8 — king f8→g8. Opponent replies Rh4 (rook h7→h4).
4. Best move: Rxh4 — rook e4→h4, captures rook.

Why this works

Black's winning sequence is a forcing maneuver that uses the king to cut off White's rook and trap it. After 1...Kf8, Black's king advances toward the rook on g7 with tempo. White's 2.Rh7 is forced (moving away from the king's approach), but 2...Kg8 completes the trap: the rook on h7 has no safe square because the Black king controls g8 and g7, the g-pawn blocks h6, and Black's rook on e4 controls the fourth rank. White's last try 3.Rh4 is met by 3...Rxh4, winning the rook outright. The rook endgame is decisive because Black then has king and rook versus king and pawns—a technical win with the rook's mobility.

What to practice

In rook endgames, activate your king aggressively to cut off the opponent's rook. The pattern here is the 'king march'—using forward king moves to shrink the rook's available squares until it has nowhere to hide. Calculate whether your rook can deliver a check or capture once the enemy rook is cornered. This geometry (king on g8, rook cut off on the h-file) is a concrete winning setup worth remembering.

Tactical themes

crushing, endgame, long, rook endgame. The key move is Kf8.

Position data

FEN: 6R1/4kpp1/6p1/8/4r3/7P/6PK/8 w - - 0 45

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