The Philidor defense

François Philidor (1777)

The most famous drawing method in rook endgames: your rook on the sixth rank stops the enemy king advancing, then checks from behind.

Key ideas

1. Keep the king in front of the pawn.
2. The rook on the sixth rank (the third for White).
3. When the pawn advances, swing the rook to check from behind.

When to use it

When defending with a rook against rook and pawn.

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