Answers.Body: <p>This endgame is <strong>lost</strong> for black, but the best plan here is for black to enter 2nd rank and try to gain some pawns and throw some checks. White's plan on the other side is just to take a7 pawn and advance his a4 pawn till promotion</p>
  
  <p>Good luck trying to SAVE that one</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-08-09T00:24:31.860Z
Answers.Text: For the record, even with Black to move Rd7 doesn't look likely to save things. After 1...Rd7 2. Rxd7 Kxd7 3. Kc5 Black's got basically nothing. White can play a5 and even a6 if necessary at their leisure, and has multiple 'waiting moves' with the b pawn to avoid Zugzwang if needed, whereas the moment Black moves his king away from the defense of the c-pawn it's all over. Black can't possibly win the pawns vs. pawns fight on the kingside.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Steven Stadnicki
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-31T23:42:56.190Z
Answers.Text: Why blacks game is lost ? they still can try with Re8,Ra8, and then make his king approach to the a file, right ?
Answers.UserDisplayName: mounaim
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-31T23:47:29.363Z
Answers.Text: nope, is hopeless position. white will promote a pawn
Answers.UserDisplayName: Panzer
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-02-01T00:24:54.437Z
Answers.Text: I just can't see why, I think Rd7 is a good move for black too ;)
Answers.UserDisplayName: mounaim
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-02-03T00:55:34.027Z
Answers.Text: @mounaim, you said *"white to move"*, so first white will take the pawn at `a7`. You can't respond with `Ra8` and `Rd7` will save nothing.
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tomas
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-01-31T23:33:50.660Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-01-31T23:33:50.660Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Panzer
Answers.Body: <p>Black can't save the endgame if White plays well.</p>
  
  <p>As Capablanca wrote in "Chess Fundamentals," a rook on the seventh rank is worth a pawn. Given that actual pawns are even, consider White a pawn ahead.</p>
  
  <p>White will first capture the a pawn. Since there is no Black pawn on say, b6, White's a pawn is "passed." Such a pawn is worth two pawns. Now White has the value of three pawns (a whole piece), ahead, even though he has one extra pawn. He will move his b pawn to b4  while Black moves his rook to d2. Afterward, he will move his a pawn toward the queening square. Black has to move (and keep) his rook on the a file. White's king then picks up the c pawn because Black's king is confined to the seventh rank.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-08-06T19:40:39.983Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-08-06T19:40:39.983Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tom Au
Answers.Body: <p>Stockfish agrees with the other posters. You can stick a fork in this one, it is done. Of course, it requires the opponent to find the right moves...</p>
  
  <pre><code>[FEN "3rk3/p1R2ppp/2p5/8/P1K5/8/1P3PPP/8 w - - 0 1"]
  
  1.Rxa7 Rd2 2.b4 Rc2+ 3.Kd4 Kd8 4.a5 c5+ 5.bxc5 Rxf2 6.a6 Ra2 7.Kc4 Kc8 8.Rxf7 Rxa6 9.Rxg7 h6 10.Kb5 Rf6 11.h4 Rf1 12.g4 Kb8 13.h5 Rb1+ 14.Kc4 Rc1+ 15.Kd5 Rh1 16.Kc6 Ra1 17.Rg6 Ka7 18.Kc7 Rc1 19.c6 Rf1 20.Rxh6 Rf7+ 
  </code></pre>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2016-08-08T04:09:23.667Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2016-08-08T04:09:23.667Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tony Ennis
Answers.Body: <p>What about </p>
  
  <pre><code> .....   d8-d2
   c7-c8!  d2-e2!
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Now it's possible to draw.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-02-01T09:45:47.463Z
Answers.Text: it's white to move first, not black
Answers.UserDisplayName: Panzer
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-02-03T01:09:29.913Z
Answers.Text: And even if it was black's turn, do you know the rules of chess Adam? `c7-c8` is in fact a check `Rc7-c8+` which can't be followed by `Rd2-e2`!
Answers.UserDisplayName: Tomas
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2014-02-01T01:29:06.237Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2014-02-01T01:29:06.237Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Adam Speight
Body: <p>Recently I've played a game (with blacks) which ended with this position (White to move) :  </p>
  
  <pre><code>[fen "3rk3/p1R2ppp/2p5/8/P1K5/8/1P3PPP/8 w - - 0 1"]
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>It's clear that White player can't protect his pawns in the second row, but the problem here is with the a file, should black protect his pawns in the a file, which will quite restrict his possibilities ?<br>
  Otherwise, Is it possible to just abandon this pawn, and go for white pawns in the 2nd raw ?
  But the problem here is surely with the white pawn in a4 which is pretty advanced compared to black pawns.  </p>
  
  <p>How should black play in order to save his game ( a draw at least ?!) </p>
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 3.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2014-02-01T03:02:54.000Z
Comments.Text: I wanted to post an answer originally, but since I can not save the endgame, I can only offer you a detailed explanation of why White wins. If you are still interested let me know. By the way, why posting a picture of chess board when I showed you in your other question how to create chess diagram? What went wrong? I am willing to help you with that too, just leave a comment. Let me know what you have decided about my suggestions. Best regards.
Comments.UserDisplayName: AlwaysLearningNewStuff
Tags: <strategy><endgame><tactics><rook-endgame>
Title: How should black play to save this endgame?
ThreadText: # How should black play to save this endgame?
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2014-01-31)
  
  Recently I've played a game (with blacks) which ended with this position (White to move) :
  
  ```
  [fen "3rk3/p1R2ppp/2p5/8/P1K5/8/1P3PPP/8 w - - 0 1"]
  
  ```
  
  It's clear that White player can't protect his pawns in the second row, but the problem here is with the a file, should black protect his pawns in the a file, which will quite restrict his possibilities ?  
  Otherwise, Is it possible to just abandon this pawn, and go for white pawns in the 2nd raw ?
  But the problem here is surely with the white pawn in a4 which is pretty advanced compared to black pawns.
  
  How should black play in order to save his game ( a draw at least ?!)
  
  **Tags:** strategy, endgame, tactics, rook-endgame
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: I wanted to post an answer originally, but since I can not save the endgame, I can only offer you a detailed explanation of why White wins. If you are still interested let me know. By the way, why posting a picture of chess board when I showed you in your other question how to create chess diagram? What went wrong? I am willing to help you with that too, just leave a comment. Let me know what you have decided about my suggestions. Best regards.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 4 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_2 on 2014-01-31. Score: 2
  
  This endgame is **lost** for black, but the best plan here is for black to enter 2nd rank and try to gain some pawns and throw some checks. White's plan on the other side is just to take a7 pawn and advance his a4 pawn till promotion
  
  Good luck trying to SAVE that one
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_0**: Why blacks game is lost ? they still can try with Re8,Ra8, and then make his king approach to the a file, right ?  
  > **username_2**: nope, is hopeless position. white will promote a pawn  
  > **username_0**: I just can't see why, I think Rd7 is a good move for black too ;)  
  > **username_4**: @username_0, you said *"white to move"*, so first white will take the pawn at `a7`. You can't respond with `Ra8` and `Rd7` will save nothing.  
  > **username_3**: For the record, even with Black to move Rd7 doesn't look likely to save things. After 1...Rd7 2. Rxd7 Kxd7 3. Kc5 Black's got basically nothing. White can play a5 and even a6 if necessary at their leisure, and has multiple 'waiting moves' with the b pawn to avoid Zugzwang if needed, whereas the moment Black moves his king away from the defense of the c-pawn it's all over. Black can't possibly win the pawns vs. pawns fight on the kingside.  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_5 on 2016-08-06. Score: 1
  
  Black can't save the endgame if White plays well.
  
  As Capablanca wrote in "Chess Fundamentals," a rook on the seventh rank is worth a pawn. Given that actual pawns are even, consider White a pawn ahead.
  
  White will first capture the a pawn. Since there is no Black pawn on say, b6, White's a pawn is "passed." Such a pawn is worth two pawns. Now White has the value of three pawns (a whole piece), ahead, even though he has one extra pawn. He will move his b pawn to b4 while Black moves his rook to d2. Afterward, he will move his a pawn toward the queening square. Black has to move (and keep) his rook on the a file. White's king then picks up the c pawn because Black's king is confined to the seventh rank.
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_6 on 2016-08-08. Score: 0
  
  Stockfish agrees with the other posters. You can stick a fork in this one, it is done. Of course, it requires the opponent to find the right moves...
  
  ```
  [FEN "3rk3/p1R2ppp/2p5/8/P1K5/8/1P3PPP/8 w - - 0 1"]
  
  1.Rxa7 Rd2 2.b4 Rc2+ 3.Kd4 Kd8 4.a5 c5+ 5.bxc5 Rxf2 6.a6 Ra2 7.Kc4 Kc8 8.Rxf7 Rxa6 9.Rxg7 h6 10.Kb5 Rf6 11.h4 Rf1 12.g4 Kb8 13.h5 Rb1+ 14.Kc4 Rc1+ 15.Kd5 Rh1 16.Kc6 Ra1 17.Rg6 Ka7 18.Kc7 Rc1 19.c6 Rf1 20.Rxh6 Rf7+ 
  
  ```
  
  
  ---
  
  ### Answer by username_7 on 2014-02-01. Score: -1
  
  What about
  
  ```
   .....   d8-d2
   c7-c8!  d2-e2!
  
  ```
  
  Now it's possible to draw.
  
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_2**: it's white to move first, not black  
  > **username_4**: And even if it was black's turn, do you know the rules of chess username_7? `c7-c8` is in fact a check `Rc7-c8+` which can't be followed by `Rd2-e2`!  
  
  ---
  
  