Tarrasch rule - rook endings guideline
Tarrasch rule
Definition
The Tarrasch rule is an end-game guideline that states: “A rook should be placed behind a passed pawn—behind your own passed pawn to support its advance, and behind the opponent’s passed pawn to restrain it.” Formulated and popularised by the German master and theoretician Dr. Siegbert Tarrasch (1862-1934), the rule has become a cornerstone of rook-ending theory.
Historical background
During the late 19th century, rook endings were only loosely codified in chess literature. Tarrasch, known for his didactic style, distilled practical experience into crisp maxims in his 1895 and 1897 treatises. His insistence on the correct placement of rooks radically increased the conversion rate of rook-and-pawn endgames for subsequent generations. Capablanca, Smyslov and later end-game authorities explicitly acknowledged the rule in their own manuals.
Strategic significance
- For your own passed pawn – A rook stationed behind the pawn protects it from frontal attack, frees your king for centralisation, and gives the pawn maximum mobility (it can advance without blocking the rook’s files).
- Against the opponent’s passed pawn – The rook from behind cuts the pawn’s path, allowing lateral checks of the enemy king and, if necessary, capture once the pawn advances too far.
- Time efficiency – In many races of passed pawns, one tempo saved by already having the rook behind the pawn decides the game.
- End-game pedagogy – The principle is so reliable that coaches often present it as the very first rule of rook endings.
Typical applications
- Winning with an extra passed pawn – Place your rook behind it, centralise the king, and push the pawn supported by checks or lateral attacks.
- Holding an inferior ending – Even a pawn down, the defending side can often draw simply by getting the rook behind the enemy passer.
- Conversion in technical endings – Many theoretical positions (Lucena, Philidor, Vancura) begin by invoking the Tarrasch rule.
Classic examples
1. Tarrasch demonstrates his own rule (Tarrasch – Walbrodt, Hastings 1895)
Position after 46...Kg7:
Analysis: White’s rook already stands behind the passed b-pawn. After 49…Ra1+ 50. Kh2, the pawn storms to b7-b8=Q and Black is helpless.
2. Defending with the rule (Capablanca – Tartakower, New York 1924)
In the famous 59-move draw, Tartakower’s accurate 40…Rb8! swung his rook behind Capablanca’s dangerous passed b-pawn and secured the half-point despite being a pawn down.
3. Modern illustration (Short – Timman, Tilburg 1991)
Short converted with textbook precision: his rook reached a7 behind the passed a-pawn, then the king marched forward while Timman’s rook remained passive.
Exceptions and refinements
- If a pawn is only two squares from promotion and the defending king is cut off, a rook in front of the pawn (the “front-check” method) may be quicker.
- In some rook + pawn vs. rook endings, checking from the side (Vancura position) supersedes the Tarrasch rule.
- With connected passed pawns, activity of the king can outweigh strict adherence; the rook may need to support both pawns laterally.
Interesting facts & anecdotes
- Tarrasch was such an evangelist for this rule that contemporaries joked, “If you cannot put your rook behind the pawn, create another passed pawn until you can!”
- Grandmaster John Nunn once quipped that computers obey the Tarrasch rule “not out of respect for tradition, but because it simply scores highest in their evaluations.”
- In end-game tablebases, positions that violate the rule without tactical justification are almost invariably losing or drawing at best.
Key take-aways
The Tarrasch rule is not merely an aphorism; it provides a concrete, time-saving plan in rook endings. Whenever you see a passed pawn and rooks on the board, your first calculation should be: “Can my rook reach the square directly behind that pawn?” Master this habit and you will score many additional half-points—in the words of Dr. Tarrasch himself, “Chess, like love, like music, has the power to make men happy.”