Project approval after AI review on 2 November 2026. Human proofreading is still pending.
Lesson 38
The active rook
- What you will learn
- You place your rook actively in the endgame, rather than using it only to protect your pawns.
- What you should already know
- What a passed pawn is
- Why the king joins the fight in the endgame
- Lesson 16: The pawn with a clear path
- Lesson 23: The king becomes active
Time: about 5 minutes
Thinking questions in this lesson
You can ask yourself these thinking questions in any position. They help you find a good move.
- Which piece could be better placed?
- Which pawn move changes the position?
- What is the threat?
Step 1 of 6
Look first
A teaching position from “My System”. Both sides have a rook and four pawns.
You are playing White. Which black pawn must the rook on a7 protect?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space marks a square or removes the mark.
Choose a square from a list
Position as a list
White
- King f4
- Rook b6
- Pawn a5
- Pawn f2
- Pawn g3
- Pawn h2
Black
- King g7
- Rook a7
- Pawn a6
- Pawn f5
- Pawn g6
- Pawn h7
Step 2 of 6
Decide
An endgame from 1925. Becker has White, Nimzowitsch has Black. White has an extra bishop, Black two extra pawns in return.
You are playing Black. The white rook attacks your pawn on e6. What does your rook do?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Position as a list
White
- King d2
- Rook e1
- Bishop a3
- Pawn c2
- Pawn c3
- Pawn f4
- Pawn h2
Black
- King b7
- Rook h8
- Pawn a7
- Pawn b6
- Pawn e6
- Pawn f5
- Pawn g4
- Pawn g7
Step 3 of 6
Try it
Again a teaching position from “My System”. White has an extra pawn.
You are playing White. Where do you put your rook so that it helps your passed pawn on a4 best?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King g2
- Rook c3
- Pawn a4
- Pawn g3
Black
- King g7
- Rook d8
- Pawn f7
Step 4 of 6
Why does it work?
Nimzowitsch names two weaknesses of the passive rook: it gets to the other wing only slowly, and the enemy king can wander freely.
For passed pawns Tarrasch found a rule: the rook belongs behind the passed pawn, behind your own and behind the opponent’s. From there it accompanies your own pawn or chases the opponent’s without becoming passive.
Key idea
Keep your rook active in the endgame. It can be better to give up a pawn than to use your rook only to protect your pawns.
When does this apply?
Nimzowitsch himself warns: “sacrifice, but with sense” (our translation). How much the active rook is worth is shown by the concrete position.
Step 5 of 6
New position, same idea
A game from 1910. Behting has White, Nimzowitsch has Black. Both sides still have a rook.
You are playing Black. The white rook attacks your passed pawn on b6. Where do you put your rook?
Arrow keys move the focus across the squares. Enter or Space selects a piece and moves it to a highlighted square. Escape cancels the selection.
Choose a move from a list
Position as a list
White
- King f2
- Rook b5
- Pawn f4
- Pawn g3
- Pawn h3
Black
- King c3
- Rook d7
- Pawn b6
- Pawn d6
- Pawn g7
- Pawn h7
Step 6 of 6
Nimzowitsch and today
Source
In “My System” Nimzowitsch describes the aggressive rook position as a typical advantage in the endgame. The passive rook is weak because it gets to the other wing only slowly and leaves the enemy king a free path. That is why he would rather sacrifice an attacked pawn than protect it with a passive rook, and he quotes Tarrasch’s rule of the rook behind the passed pawn. The texts are newly written for the course; the positions come from teaching examples by Nimzowitsch, from Becker – Nimzowitsch, Breslau 1925, and from Behting – Nimzowitsch, Riga 1910.
- My System, 6.2 (in German): “Die aggressive Turmstellung” (original text not yet published)
- My System, game 19: Becker – Nimzowitsch (in German) (original text not yet published)
- Chess Praxis, game 53: Behting – Nimzowitsch (in German)
Today’s view (editorial note)
Tarrasch’s rule still counts today as one of the most important in rook endgames. There are exceptions, for example when a rook in front of the pawn controls an important square.