Endgame · Rook
Checkmate with King and Rook
No queen? No problem. King and rook force mate against a lone king every time — with the classic “box” method.
Step through the moves
Starting position. Press Next to begin.
Model line: 1.Ke6 Kf8 2.Rg1 Ke8 3.Rg8#
The idea
The rook cannot mate a lone king on its own; it needs the king’s help. You use the rook to build a wall the enemy king cannot cross, then walk your own king up to take the opposition — standing directly in front of the enemy king with one square between them. When the kings are face to face, the rook delivers mate along the far rank or file.
Step by step
- 1.Ke6 takes the opposition, freezing the black king onto the back rank.
- 1…Kf8 2.Rg1! is the key waiting move: it hands the move back to Black without breaking the box (“losing a tempo”).
- 2…Ke8 is forced, and 3.Rg8# mates — the rook sweeps the 8th rank while the White king on e6 covers d7, e7 and f7.
The key rule
Shrink the box with the rook, take the opposition with your king, and when you need to pass the move to your opponent, play a quiet waiting move with the rook along its rank. Mate arrives when the kings stand face to face and the rook checks along the edge.