GM Boris Avrukh

Rook vs two minor pieces – What’s stronger?

Which side has the better chances in 2 minor pieces vs Rook and pawn duel? GM Boris Avrukh shares his 7 rules to play such a material imbalance.

Strategy | Middlegames | 5 min read

Chess players at different levels struggle to evaluate this material imbalance with Rook vs 2 minor pieces.

For beginners and intermediate players, one of the most common positions where this dilemma occurs is in a position like the one below.

It’s White to play. Is it worth giving up the 2 minor pieces in return for a Rook and a pawn after 1.Nxf7 Rxf7 2.Bxf7 Kxf7?

If you stack the material value of a Rook and pawn against that of a Bishop and Knight, it's roughly equal.

On the other hand, advanced and master-level players also face challenges here. One of my students, an IM, felt uncertain about such an imbalance. So he would avoid going into such positions. And as I started to cover this topic with more of my private students, the vast majority felt uncomfortable with it.

While preparing material for this topic, I found a few principles that can help make the right practical decision in Rook vs 2 Minor pieces position.

What are these principles? How do they help you decide which side is stronger in the battle of Rook and pawns vs 2 minor pieces?

This is what you’ll learn in this article. You’ll also see the different minor piece combinations and how they fare against the Rook.

Let’s start with the most common minor piece combination.

Rook vs Bishop and Knight

This is one of the most fighting material imbalances. Both sides have their trumps.

There was a former world champion who loved to play with the Rook in such situations – we’ll come to this later in the section.

First, let’s see how the two fare against each other in different situations.

Openings

Let’s return to the position in the introduction.

The sacrifice starting with 1.Nxf7 Rxf7 2.Bxf7 Kxf7 is dubious. The following game is a good example.

Gade, Nitish vs Machoko, Maxwell

Event: Gaborone op
Site: Gaborone
Date: 2010.12.11
Round: 4
White: Gade, Nitish
Black: Machoko, Maxwell
Result: 0-1
ECO: C55

1. e4
1... e5
2. Nf3
2... Nc6
3. Bc4
3... Be7
4. Nc3
4... Nf6
5. O-O
5... O-O
6. d3
6... d6
7. Ng5
7... h6
8. Nxf7
8... Rxf7
9. Bxf7+
9... Kxf7
10. Re1
10... Nd4
11. Be3
11... c5
12. Nd5
12... Be6
13. Nxe7
13... Qxe7
14. c3
14... Nc6
15. a3
15... d5
16. b4
16... d4
17. Bd2
17... Rd8
18. bxc5
18... Qxc5
19. c4
19... a5
20. Qf3
20... Bg4
21. Qg3
21... Qd6
22. h3
22... Bd7
23. Qf3
23... Kg8
24. g4
24... Rf8
25. Qe2
25... Nh7
26. h4
26... Qg6
27. h5
27... Qf6
28. Rf1
28... Ng5
29. Bxg5
29... Qxg5
30. Rab1
30... Bxg4
31. Qe1
31... Bf3+
32. Kh2
32... Qg2#

0-1

As you saw in the game above, minor pieces could easily come into the game, whereas the Rook couldn’t perform to its fullest potential.

Rule: If you play with minor pieces, your goal is to maintain as many pieces as possible.

As a natural extension to this rule, the side with the minor pieces is better off with the queens on the board in the vast majority of cases.

In the openings, minor pieces are usually worth more than the Rooks. It’s easier for them to take part in the game.

Middlegames

While reading the excellent book ‘Learn from the Legends’ by Mihail Marin, I found something very interesting.

To my great surprise, I discovered Mikhail Tal was a big fan of playing with the Rook and pawn/pawns against minor pieces. Moreover, it was one of the signature methods of the Latvian Maestro.

The game below, played between Tal - Brinck Claussen perfectly illustrates how factors such as piece activity play a big role in such material imbalances.

Tal, Mihail vs Brinck Claussen, Bjorn

Event: Havana ol (Men) fin-A
Site: Havana
Date: 1966.??.??
Round: 4
White: Tal, Mihail
Black: Brinck Claussen, Bjorn
Result: 1-0
ECO: D40

33. Nxd5!
Tal, committed to his style, chooses a spectacular and well-calcuated combination.
1. 33. Qf5
  with a big positional advantage after:
2. 33... Qxf5
3. 34. Nxf5
4. 34... Kf8
5. 35. Rb7+−
33... Bxd5
34. Ra8!
obviously the point of White's combination.
34... Bxa2
1. 34... Rxa8
2. 35. Qxd5+
3. 35... Qxd5
4. 36. Bxd5+
5. 36... Kf8
6. 37. Bxa8
  leads to a hopeless endgame for Black.
35. Rxd8+
35... Kf7
36. Qc6!
without this powerful move, White's combination would be pointless. Now Black is hopeless against White's attack.
36... Ne7
37. Qe8+
37... Ke6
38. Rc8!
38... Qd5
1. 38... Bd5
  Doesn't help.
2. 39. Rc7
3. 39... f5
4. 40. Qd7+
  [%csl Gd5,Ge7]
5. 40... Kf7
6. 41. Qxd5++−
39. Rc3
threatening 40. Re3.
39... Qd7
40. Re3+
40... Kd6
41. Qb8+
41... Kc6
42. a4!?
an interesting solution.
1. 42. Rc3+
2. 42... Kd5
3. 43. Qxb6+−
  with a winning position for White.
42... Nd5
43. Re1
now 44. Rc1 is unstoppable.
43... Qd6
44. Rc1+
44... Kd7
45. Qc8+
Black resigned without waiting for 45..Ke7 46. Re1 Kf7 47. Qe8 mate

1-0

I’ll share another example with you on this before sharing an important rule.

Rublevsky, Sergei vs Fedoseev, Vladimir

Event: TCh-RUS Premier 2021
Site: Sochi RUS
Date: 2021.05.04
Round: 4
White: Rublevsky, Sergei
Black: Fedoseev, Vladimir
Result: 0-1
ECO: B25

In this position, Black has only one rook for White's two minor pieces. So the only question is whether White's able to solve the problem of his a4-Knight. In case of a positive solution, there's no reason why White shouldn't be simply winning.

30. Qe3?
1. 30. Nc3!
  It works tactically, with the cirtical line obviously being
2. 30... Rxc3
  1. 30... Qc5
  2. 31. Qf6
  3. 31... Rf8
  4. 32. Rxb3
    with an absolutely winning position.
3. 31. bxc3
4. 31... b2
  the most important is not to stop the calculation here and check this position for White's ideas. It appears everything works great for White after...
5. 32. Ra7!
6. 32... Rb7
  1. 32... Qxa7
  2. 33. Qxa7
  3. 33... b1=Q
  4. 34. Qxf7+
  5. 34... Kh8
  6. 35. Qxg6+−
    and White has too much material for being exchange down. Morevoer, the Black King is very vulnerable.
7. 33. Rxb7
8. 33... Qxb7
9. 34. e5!
  the key move.
10. 34... dxe5
  Black is lost now.
  1. 34... b1=Q
  2. 35. Bxb7
  3. 35... Qxb7
  4. 36. exd6+−
  1. 34... Qb8
  2. 35. Be4!
  3. 35... dxe5
  4. 36. Qb4+−
11. 35. Bxb7
12. 35... exd4
13. 36. Be4
14. 36... dxc3
15. 37. Kg2
16. 37... Kg7
17. 38. Kf3
  with an easy win.
30... Rc2
31. Ra1?
After this second mistake, White's not better anymore.
1. 31. e5!
2. 31... dxe5
3. 32. Be4
  would still maintain the advantage.
31... Qa5!
32. Qf4?
It was definitely not the best day for Sergei Rublevsky.
1. 32. Qd4
  White would still maintain the balance. For example:
2. 32... Rd2
3. 33. Qe3
4. 33... Rxb2
5. 34. Nxb2
6. 34... Qxa1
7. 35. Qc3$11
32... Kg7
Black is already better.
33. Qxd6?
1. 33. Qe3
2. 33... Rc4
3. 34. e5!
4. 34... Rxa4
5. 35. Rxa4
6. 35... Qxa4
7. 36. exd6
8. 36... Qd7
  Black still needs to show some technique.
33... Rd8−+
Now it's over. The rest is very simple.
34. Qa3
34... Rd3
35. Qe7
35... Rdd2
36. Nc3
Only now White can play Nc3, but it's obviously too late.
36... Qxa1
37. Qe5+
37... Kh7
38. Nd5
38... Rxd5
39. Qxd5
39... Rxf2
40. Qxb3
40... Qf1

0-1

Rule: In many cases, the material count might be misleading in evaluating the positions. It's more about piece activity, coordination, or how dangerous the pawn/pawns are.

Now have a look at the next position, between Gligoric - Psakhis, White made an interesting decision to capture on c5.

Gligoric, Svetozar vs Psakhis, Lev

Event: Sarajevo
Site: Sarajevo
Date: 1986.??.??
Round: 5
White: Gligoric, Svetozar
Black: Psakhis, Lev
Result: 0-1
ECO: A75

Should White go for the position with two conncted central pawns and Rook for two minor pieces?

20. Nxc5
1. 20. Nxb6
2. 20... Rxb6
3. 21. e5
4. 21... dxe5
  would lead to a pretty balanced position.
20... dxc5
21. Bxb8?
This appears to be a wrong move.
1. 21. e5!!
  choosing the position with piece down for one pawn, instead of having Rook and two central pawns for two minor pieces! White's two central pawns supported by the Bishop pair and White's heavy pieces are very dangerous, while Black's minor pieces lack coordination. One example line is:
2. 21... Nd7
3. 22. Bg2!
  another difficult decision. Now 23.e6 is a big threat.
  1. 22. e6?
  2. 22... fxe6
  3. 23. Bxb8
    1. 23. dxe6
      is refuted by a tactical trick
    2. 23... Ne5∓
      [%csl Gf3]
  4. 23... e5!
    both the White Bishops are under attack and the game is very unclear.
4. 22... Nd6
  1. 22... Qc7
  2. 23. e6
  3. 23... Nd6
  4. 24. exd7
  5. 24... Qxd7
  6. 25. Rxc5
  7. 25... Rxb2
  8. 26. Qd3
    and White is better thanks to his strong d5-pawn.
5. 23. e6
21... Qxb8
22. Rxc5
22... Nd6
[%cal Gd6c4] Formally, White has a material advantage having two pawns and Rook for Black's two minor pieces (7 pawns vs 6 pawns if we calculate pawn value). However, in many cases, we need to evaluate dynamic factors. For example in this position, White's connected central pawns cannot advance, while Black's minor pieces are getting active very rapidly. In many cases, the simple pawn value might be misleading in evaluation of our specific imbalanced positions. It's more about piece activity and coordination, or how dangerous are the pawn/pawns.
23. Rec1?
After this natural move, Black is taking over and never looks back.
1. 23. Qb4
  although I would still prefer Black's position after
2. 23... Nb5
23... Nd7!
24. R5c2
24... Qb3?!
Inaccurate execution.
1. 24... Re8
  [%cal Gh5h4] with an advantage.
25. Bg2
25... Ne5
26. Rc3
26... Qb6
27. Qe2?
Missing another opportunity to come back into the game.
1. 27. Qe3
2. 27... Qb7
  1. 27... Qxb2
  2. 28. Rb3
  3. 28... Qa2
  4. 29. Ra3$11
3. 28. Rb3
4. 28... Qe7
5. 29. h3
  following up with 30.f4.
27... a5
1. 27... Nb5!
2. 28. Qe3
3. 28... Qb8
  was even stronger.
28. h3
28... h4
29. gxh4
29... Bh6!
White has three pawns and Rook against two minor pieces. However their position is objectively lost. All the three Black's minor pieces are very well coordinated, while White's passed pawns are all blocked and therefore fully neutralized.
30. Rd1
30... Bf4
31. Kh1
31... Kg7
32. h5
32... g5!
33. Rg1
33... Kh6
34. Bf3
34... Rb8
Great dark-squared strategy! Here I believe is the appropriate moment to mention rule number 5: The side with minor pieces is interested to keep as many pieces as possible.
35. h4
desperate attempt to muddy the waters.
35... gxh4
36. Qf1
36... Qxb2
37. Qg2
37... Bg3!
elegant tactics, which decides the game instantly.
38. fxg3
38... Qxc3
39. Bd1
39... Qe3
40. Qf1
40... Qxe4+

0-1

As you saw, White’s decision to capture the extra pawn on c5 turned out to be dubious despite them gaining an extra pawn in material terms. It also reveals another important rule.

Rule: The side with the minor pieces should strive to create outposts.

Position with weaknesses

Which side is at an advantage when there are many weaknesses? Think about it. I’ll reveal soon. Before that, have a look at the position below.

Rook vs 2 minor pieces vs ?

Event: Position with a weakness
Site: ?
Date: 2022.11.01
Round: ?
White: Rook vs 2 minor pieces
Black: ?
Result: *

1... c5!
2. Rd1
2... cxd4
3. cxd4
3... Ne6−+
[%csl Gd4,Re6,Rf6]

A Rook can protect a weak spot once, while the minor pieces can attack twice, often giving the side with the minor pieces a big advantage.

Endgames

Exploiting the full potential of the Rooks during the opening and middlegame is hard because often, you don’t get many entry points.

But in endgames, the Rooks can play to their fullest potential.

And if they can infiltrate the enemy position and find targets to attack, they could become dangerous.

I’m going to show 2 examples from the game of Mikhail Tal that perfectly show this theme. The first one is between Tal - Tauve.

Tal, Mikhail vs Tauve

Event: Latvian Championship
Site: ?
Date: 1965.??.??
Round: ?
White: Tal, Mikhail
Black: Tauve
Result: 1-0

12. g4!
a winning idea. White pawn gets to f5 and Black's g7-pawn becomes a serious target.
12... Nfe7
13. f5+
13... Kf7
14. Rh1
14... Kg8
1. 14... g6
15. g6!
now, Black is hopeless.
15... d4
16. Rh7
16... Nd5
17. g5
17... Nd8
18. Bd6
18... Nc6
19. Bf8!
The most elegant and the easiest solution.
19... Kxf8
20. Rh8+
20... Ke7
21. Rxa8
21... Kd6
22. f6
22... gxf6
23. g7
23... Nce7
24. Rxa6+
without waiting for 25. gxf6, Black resigned.

1-0

Notice how White’s Rook got into Black’s camp, giving Tal a winning advantage.

Rule: The side with a Rook and pawn/pawns should strive to trade the opponent’s rook to worsen the coordination of his pieces and be able to invade the opponent's camp.

The next game is played between two legends, Petrosian - Tal.

Petrosian, Tigran V vs Tal, Mihail

Event: URS-chT Cup 04th
Site: Moscow
Date: 1964.10.11
Round: 1
White: Petrosian, Tigran V
Black: Tal, Mihail
Result: 1/2-1/2
ECO: A13

Intertesting position: White has some pressure thanks to better coordinated pieces. Black has the opportunity to initiate imbalances, or to defend a somewhat inferior endgame. What would be your choice?

17... Nxe3!
It's very easy to guess what was the choice of Mikhail Tal. When I was showing this position to my students, many actually preferred not to play 17...Nxe3 but rather choose the solid Rfd8.
1. 17... Rfd8
  looks very solid. However, White retains a pleasant pull after the very surprising
2. 18. h4!
  with the following idea
  1. 18. Nc7
  2. 18... Rac8!
    1. 18... Nxc7
    2. 19. Bxb7
      and White is significantly better thanks to his Bishop pair.
  3. 19. Nxd5
  4. 19... Bxd5!
  5. 20. Bxd5
  6. 20... exd5
    [%cal Gf7f6,Gg8e6] and Black's plan is to play f6, following up by Kf7-e6 and it should be easily holdable.
3. 18... a6
4. 19. Nc7!
5. 19... Rac8
6. 20. Nxd5
7. 20... Bxd5
8. 21. Bxd5
9. 21... exd5
10. 22. h5⩲
  now Black cannot play 22...f6 in view of 23.h6 breaking Black kingside pawn structure. Otherwise, Black's position is unpleasant.
18. Bxb7
1. 18. fxe3?
2. 18... Bxe3+
3. 19. Kf1
4. 19... Bxf3
5. 20. gxf3
6. 20... Bxc1
7. 21. Rxc1
8. 21... Rac8!∓
  important move to eliminate White's initiaitve and offer a favourable Rook exchange. Rule: The side with a rook and pawn/pawns is interested to trade the opponent's Rook in order to worsen coordination (The Rook very nicely supports active minor pieces) of his pieces and of course, to be able to invade into the opponent's camp.
18... Nxd1
19. Rxd1
19... Rad8!
following our first rule, trading pair of rooks is definitely favourable for Black. Not only Black's second Rook gets active, but it's also ready to invade the second or first rank with a lot of damage.
1. 19... Rab8?
  in this case White is able to prevent rooks trade by means of
2. 20. Be4
3. 20... Rfd8
4. 21. Bd3!
  with advantage. Rule: If you play with minor pieces, your goal is to maintain as many pieces as possible. Futhermore, the Rook has very important role in enchancing the coordination of minor pieces.
20. Nc3
1. 20. Rxd8?
  would be a terrible mistake, since after
2. 20... Rxd8
  the Black Rook decisively invades to d2-square.
20... Rxd1+
21. Nxd1
21... Rd8
22. Bf3
after a logical sequence of moves, we reached the position where Black has a choice
22... Rd2
the most natural continuation, although this time without decisive effect.
1. 22... Bd4!?
  Another rule: Playing with the Rook and pawn/pawns, we should be interested to trade opponent's Bishop pair. The other side should strive for maintaining their pair.
2. 23. Ba3
3. 23... Be5
  threatening 24...Rd2
4. 24. Bb4
5. 24... a5
6. 25. Be1
7. 25... Rc8$11
  [%cal Gc8c2] Black rook will penetrate along c-file , although White has enough resources to retain balanced position.
23. Kf1
only move, otherwise White is clearly worse.
23... a5?!
Not the best choice for Black, since it makes his queenside pawns vulnerable.
1. 23... Bxf2
  the problem here is to see the following idea
2. 24. Bc3
3. 24... Rc2!
4. 25. Be4
5. 25... Rc1
6. 26. Ke2
  Black Rook will be trapped if not
7. 26... Bh4!
  and now 27.Kd2 is well met by 27...Bg5. I believe this position is easier to play for Black, but objectively it's equal.
1. 23... f5
2. 24. Be2
3. 24... Bd4!
4. 25. Bxd4
5. 25... Rxd4
6. 26. Ke1
7. 26... Kf7
  with an equal endgame.
24. Be2
24... e5?
only makes things worse for Black.
1. 24... Bd4
2. 25. Bxd4
3. 25... Rxd4
4. 26. a4!
  is already problematic for Black due to the weakness of b6-pawn.
1. 24... b5
  with the following idea
2. 25. a3
3. 25... a4!
4. 26. Bc3
5. 26... Ra2
6. 27. b4
7. 27... Be7
8. 28. Bxb5
9. 28... Rxa3
10. 29. Ke2
11. 29... Bxb4!
12. 30. Bb2
13. 30... Ra2
14. 31. Bc4
15. 31... Rxb2+
16. 32. Nxb2
17. 32... a3
18. 33. Nd3
19. 33... Bd6
  and it seems like Black has good drawish chances due to limited material.
25. a4!±
now White's advantage has crystallized: Black Rook is more or less neutralized. Meanwhile the b6-pawn is fixed and supposed to become a clear target in the long run.
25... Bd4
26. Bxd4?
In my opinion, White underestimated the recapture with the pawn on d4.
1. 26. Bc1!
2. 26... Ra2
  1. 26... Rc2
  2. 27. Be3
    White is fine to trade dark-squared bishops, due to the fact that Black Bishop is an important defender of the b6-pawn.
  3. 27... Bxe3
  4. 28. Nxe3
  5. 28... Rc1+
  6. 29. Bd1±
3. 27. Ke1!
4. 27... f5
5. 28. Bc4+
6. 28... Kf8
7. 29. Bd2
  and in both lines, White's clearly better due to Black's vulnerable queenside pawn structure.
26... exd4!
certainly this is much better than Rd4.
1. 26... Rxd4?
2. 27. Ne3
  and the wekaness of b6-pawn is a decisive factor. White should prevail easily.
27. Ke1
27... Ra2
Now the game is equal.
28. g4
1. 28. Bd3
2. 28... Kf8
3. 29. Bb1
4. 29... Ra3!
5. 30. Bc2
6. 30... d3
7. 31. Bxd3
8. 31... Rxb3$11
  with equality.
28... Kf8
29. f4
29... Ke7
30. Nf2
30... Ra1+
31. Kd2
31... Ra2+
32. Ke1
32... Ra1+
33. Bd1
Petrosian decides to play on. Unfortunately for him, Tal was very accurate and didn't allow any chances for White.
33... Ra2
34. h4
34... f6
35. h5
35... Ke6
36. Nd3
36... g6
37. hxg6
37... hxg6
38. Be2
38... Rc2
39. Kd1
39... Rc3
40. Kd2
40... g5
41. fxg5
41... fxg5
42. Bd1
42... Kd5
43. Nb2
43... Rg3
44. Nc4
44... Kc5
45. Ne5
45... Kd5
46. Nf7
46... Rg2+
47. Kd3
47... Rg3+
48. Kd2
48... Rg2+

1/2-1/2

If you’re playing with the Rook, there’s another important strategy you can leverage.

Saveliev, Alexei vs Mohite, Ranveer

Event: Chigorin Memorial 2018
Site: ?
Date: 2018.11.04
Round: 8
White: Saveliev, Alexei
Black: Mohite, Ranveer
Result: 0-1
ECO: C95

Power of the Rook.

63... Rxe4+!
In this endgame, Black decided to liquidate to a Rook vs Bishop + Knight endgame. And Black's advantage here is huge for 2 reasons: 1. They have an extra pawn on the Kingside that can become a passer. 2. White's minor pieces lack real targets. Practically, it's a very hard position to hold for White.
64. Kxe4
64... g5
65. Bf5
1. 65. hxg5+
2. 65... Kxg5
3. 66. Ke3
4. 66... Kh4
5. 67. Be6
6. 67... Kg3−+
65... gxh4
66. Nf4
66... Rg8
67. Ne2
67... Kg5
68. Nf4
68... Kh6
69. Ne2
69... Rg2
70. Kf3
70... Rh2
71. Bc8
71... Kg5
72. Be6
72... Rh1
[%cal Gh1b1,Gb1b3]

0-1

The Black Rook infiltrating the White’s position is decisive.

Rule: The side with rook and pawn/pawns should strive to create a passed pawn to force one of the opponent's minor pieces to deal with it.

This doesn’t mean the Rook is stronger than the Bishop and Knight in endgames. Everything depends on the specific position.

Here’s one example from a game between Nepomniachtchi - Aronian.

Nepomniachtchi, Ian vs Aronian, Levon

Event: Superbet Classic 2022
Site: Bucharest ROU
Date: 2022.05.13
Round: 8
White: Nepomniachtchi, Ian
Black: Aronian, Levon
Result: 1/2-1/2
ECO: C53

32. Kd3
Finally, White has fully consolidated his pieces. But the problem is that Black has accompished a lot and therefore should be able to hold this position easily.
32... h5
1. 32... c6
2. 33. Kc4
3. 33... b5+!
  otherwise White might play b5
4. 34. Kc3
5. 34... c5
6. 35. Nxb5
7. 35... cxb4+
8. 36. Kxb4
9. 36... Rd1
  and Black will easily trade one pair of pawns, securing his position.
33. Kc4
33... c6??
I am not exactly sure why Black played this move, I would assume Levon forgot about b5-b6 advance. Instead
1. 33... Re5
2. 34. Bf4
3. 34... Re4
4. 35. Bxc7
5. 35... hxg4
6. 36. hxg4
7. 36... Rxg4
  should be an easy draw.
34. b5!
Of course!
34... hxg4
35. hxg4
35... Ke8
36. b6!
This is the point, now Black's b7-pawn is a clear target in long-run and White's position is winning.
1. 36. bxc6
2. 36... bxc6
3. 37. Nxc6
4. 37... Rd1
  with an easy draw due to limited amount of material.
36... Kd7
37. Nb3
37... Rd1
38. Nc5+
The Knight is perfectly placed on c5.
38... Kc8
39. Bf4?
Ian missed a winning idea.
1. 39. f4
  switching to the Kingside. The threat is 39.f5 following it up with 40.Ne6.
2. 39... g6
3. 40. Bd4
4. 40... f5
5. 41. g5!
  and there is no way Black can hold this position with two weaknesses on b7 and g6.
39... Rg1!
40. Bg3
40... Rc1+
41. Kd4
41... Rd1+
42. Nd3
obviously White is playing for a win.
42... Ra1?
Now it's Black's turn to miss a drawish idea.
1. 42... c5+
2. 43. Kc4
3. 43... Kd7!
  activating Black king
4. 44. Nxc5+
5. 44... Kc6
6. 45. Ne6
  at first glance it looks lost, however Black escapes with study-like idea
7. 45... Re1!
8. 46. Nxg7
9. 46... Re4+
10. 47. Kb3
11. 47... Rxg4
12. 48. Nh5
13. 48... Kxb6
14. 49. Nxf6
15. 49... Rd4
  and it should be a draw.
43. Bd6
1. 43. f3
2. 43... Ra4+
3. 44. Ke3
4. 44... Ra5
5. 45. Bd6!
  was more convincing.
43... Ra6
44. Bf8
44... Ra4+
45. Bb4
45... Ra6
46. Kc5
46... Ra1
47. Kd4
White is going for the wrong idea
1. 47. f3!
2. 47... Kd7
3. 48. Kd4
4. 48... Rb1
5. 49. Bc5+−
  was the right winning plan.
47... Ra6
48. Bf8?
48... Ra4+
49. Nb4
49... Kd7!
it's always a good idea to activate the King.
50. f3
1. 50. Ke3
  would leave White with more chances.
50... g6
1. 50... g5!
  Fixing the White pawn on f3 and thus preventing f3-f4 move would be way easier for Black. For example
2. 51. Ke4
3. 51... Ke6
4. 52. Bc5
5. 52... Kf7
  and White has no constructive ideas.
51. Bc5
1. 51. Ke3
2. 51... Ra8
3. 52. Bc5
4. 52... Ke6
5. 53. Kd4
6. 53... Ra4!
7. 54. f4
8. 54... Ra1
  Black's counterplay should be sufficient.
51... Ke6
1. 51... g5
  would make Black's life much easier.
52. Kc4
1. 52. f4
  but I believe Black still holds after the accurate
2. 52... Ra1
3. 53. Nd3
4. 53... Rg1
5. 54. f5+!
6. 54... gxf5
7. 55. Nf4+
8. 55... Kf7
9. 56. gxf5
10. 56... Rg8
52... f5
1. 52... g5
  looks like an easy draw.
53. g5
53... f4
54. Bd4
54... Kd6?
very strange mistake. After
1. 54... Kf5
2. 55. Bf6
3. 55... Ke6
  White cannot improve.
55. Bg7!
55... Kd7?
this is clearly losing.
1. 55... Ke6
2. 56. Bf6
3. 56... Ra5
  1. 56... Kf5
    loses control over d6-square, which can be exploited by
  2. 57. Kc5
  3. 57... Ra5+
  4. 58. Kd6+−
4. 57. Nd3
5. 57... Ra4+
6. 58. Kb3
7. 58... Ra5
8. 59. Nxf4+
9. 59... Kf5
10. 60. Ng2!
11. 60... Ke6
  and I suspect Black can still hold, although it's a tough defense.
56. Be5!
Once again, White reaches a winning position.
56... c5
57. Kxc5
57... Ra3
58. Nd5
58... Rxf3
59. Nxf4
59... Rf1
60. Kd5!
Very precise.
60... Rf3
61. Bc7
61... Rg3
62. Ne6
Now it looks like nothing can stop Ian and he is well on the way to prevail. But you can never relax against Levon, and this is exactly what happened in this game.
62... Rg1
63. Nc5+
1. 63. Be5
  would be more convincing.
63... Kc8
64. Ne4
64... Rd1+
65. Ke5
65... Re1
66. Kf4
66... Kd7
67. Nd6
67... Kc6
68. Nc4
68... Rf1+
69. Ke4
69... Re1+
70. Kd4
70... Kb5
71. Nd6+
1. 71. Ne5
2. 71... Rf1
3. 72. Kd5
4. 72... Rf5
5. 73. Bd8!+−
  is winning for White.
71... Kc6
72. Nf7
72... Kd7
73. Ne5+
73... Ke6
74. Nxg6
74... Kf5
75. Ne5??
At the end, Ian missed an amazing saving idea for Black.
1. 75. Nh4+
2. 75... Kg4
  1. 75... Kxg5?
  2. 76. Nf3++−
3. 76. Ng2
4. 76... Rd1+
  or
  1. 76... Rg1
  2. 77. Nf4
  3. 77... Kf5
  4. 78. g6+−
5. 77. Ke5
6. 77... Kxg5
7. 78. Ke6
  and Black is hopeless against the White King heading towards the b7-pawn.
75... Rd1+
76. Kc5
76... Kxg5
77. Nf7+
77... Kf6
78. Nd6
I am pretty sure Ian was convinced that after grabbing the b7-pawn, Black is lost.
78... Rc1+
79. Kb5
79... Rb1+
80. Ka4
80... Ra1+
81. Kb3
81... Ke6
82. Nxb7
82... Rc1!!
and due to the threat of Rxc7 bxc7 Kd7, Black saves the game!
83. Kb4
1. 83. Nd6
2. 83... Rb1+
3. 84. Kc4
4. 84... Rxb6
  doesn't help.
1. 83. Bd8
2. 83... Kd7$11
83... Rxc7
84. Nc5+
84... Kd6
85. bxc7
85... Kxc7

1/2-1/2

As you saw, Nepomniachtchi pressed for a long time with the 2 minor pieces. He had his chances, but Aronian’s brave defense helped him escape with a draw.

Rook vs 2 Bishops

2 Bishops are stronger than a Rook and a pawn in the majority of cases. Out of the different minor piece combinations, this pair is the most troublesome combination for the side with the Rook to play against.

Thanks to their long-range ability, the Bishops can control far-away corners of the board from a distance.

You might remember the following example from GM Gabuzyan’s article on the Bishop pair.

After 1.Kg5, White is completely winning!

The poor Rf6 is trapped, even though it can move to the maximum number of squares.

I’ll show you a practical position, from Vitiugov - Predke, and together we will draw useful conclusions from it.

Vitiugov, Nikita vs Predke, Alexandr

Event: RUS-chT
Site: Sochi
Date: 2021.05.03
Round: 3
White: Vitiugov, Nikita
Black: Predke, Alexandr
Result: 1-0
ECO: E49

28. Nxc1
28... Nc8!?
heading to c4.
1. 28... Nc6
2. 29. Nb3
3. 29... a5
  In this case, after
4. 30. Ke3
5. 30... g5
  it's White, who has to be careful.
29. Nb3
29... Nb6
30. Bc3!
White has to activate his dark-squared bishop, keeping it on c1 would be very depressing.
30... Nc4
Black is slighly better.
31. Bb4
31... Rc8?!
There was absolutely no reason for Black to allow White d-pawn to advance. Better idea would have been
1. 31... f6
  with idea to improve slowly by means of Kf7, g5 etc. In my opinion, White should be able to hold after
2. 32. Bd3
3. 32... Kf7
4. 33. Be2
32. d5!
of course!
32... Rd8
33. Na5
A nice tactical resource.
33... Nxa5?
this is already losing mistake.
1. 33... exd5
2. 34. Nc6
3. 34... Rd7
4. 35. exd5
5. 35... g6
  would hold for Black.
34. Bxa5
34... Rd7
35. Ba2!
35... exd5
36. exd5
Now the White passer easily decides the game.
36... Kf8
37. d6
1. 37. Ke3!?
37... Ke8
doesn't help.
1. 37... Rxd6
2. 38. Bb4
3. 38... Ke7
4. 39. Bxd6+
5. 39... Kxd6
6. 40. Bxf7+−
  and White wins.
38. Bc7
38... a5
39. Kf3
39... Rxc7
40. dxc7
40... Kd7
41. Bxf7
41... Kxc7
42. Kg4
42... Kd6
43. Kxh4

1-0

Rule: While playing with rook and pawn/pawns, you should be interested to trade the opponent's bishop pair, the other side should strive to maintain their bishop pair.

Rook vs 2 Knights

Among the different minor piece combinations, 2 Knights fare the worst against the Rook and pawn. It’s simply harder for them to coordinate. Here's a game played between Kramnik - Short.

Kramnik, Vladimir vs Short, Nigel D

Event: Olympiad-38
Site: Dresden
Date: 2008.11.19
Round: 6
White: Kramnik, Vladimir
Black: Short, Nigel D
Result: 1-0
ECO: D07

19... N6e7
20. Bxb5!
In the endgame, a Rook and two pawns are usually stronger than two Knights.
20... axb5
21. Nxb5
21... Rda6
1. 21... Rb7
2. 22. Nxd6
3. 22... Nxd6
4. 23. Rc5
22. Nxa7
22... Rxa7
23. Rc5
23... Nb6
1. 23... Rxa3
2. 24. Rxc7
  [%csl Gb4]
24. Ra1
24... Kf8
25. a4!
25... Ke8
26. a5
26... Nc4
27. Ra2
27... f5
28. Kf1
28... Kd7
29. Ke2
29... Nd6?
This allows the White pawns to move forward.
1. 29... c6
2. 30. Kd3
3. 30... Nd6
4. 31. f3⩲
30. b5!
30... Nc4
1. 30... Nb7
2. 31. Rxc7+!
3. 31... Kxc7
4. 32. b6+
5. 32... Kb8
6. 33. bxa7+
7. 33... Kxa7
8. 34. Rc2+−
31. Ra4!?
31... Kd8
1. 31... Rxa5?
2. 32. Rcxc4
1. 31... Nxa5?
2. 32. Rc2
  [%cal Rc2a2]
32. a6
32... Nb6
33. Ra1
33... Nec8
34. h3!
Opening a "second front" - a standard technique.
34... h5
35. g4!
35... hxg4
36. hxg4
36... fxg4
37. Rg1
37... Ne7
38. Rxg4
38... Na4
39. Rh4!?
39... c6
It was probably better for Black to accept the exchange sacrifice but White should win anyway:
1. 39... Nxc5
2. 40. dxc5
3. 40... Kd7
4. 41. Rh8
  [%cal Ye2d3,Yd3c3,Yc3b4,Yb4a5,Yb5b6]
5. 41... Nc6!?
6. 42. Kd2!
7. 42... Nb4
  1. 42... d4
  2. 43. e4!?
8. 43. Rh7+!
9. 43... Kd8
  1. 43... Ke6
  2. 44. Kc3
  3. 44... Nxa6
  4. 45. bxa6
  5. 45... Rxa6
  6. 46. Rxc7+−
10. 44. Rh4
11. 44... Nc6
  1. 44... Nxa6
  2. 45. Ra4
12. 45. Rh8+
13. 45... Kd7
14. 46. Kc3+−
  wins for White.
40. Rh8+
40... Kc7
41. Rc2
41... Nb6
42. Rh7
42... Kb8
43. bxc6
43... Rc7
44. Kf3
44... Ka7
45. Ra2
45... Nbc8
46. Rb2
46... Kxa6??
A blunder in a lost position.
1. 46... Rxc6
2. 47. Rb7+
3. 47... Kxa6
4. 48. Rbxe7
5. 48... Nxe7
6. 49. Rxe7
7. 49... Rf6+
8. 50. Kg3
9. 50... Kb6
10. 51. Re5
11. 51... Kc6
12. 52. f4
13. 52... Rd6
14. 53. Kg4
15. 53... Kd7
16. 54. Kg5+−
  [%cal Yg5h6,Yh6g7,Yg7f7]
1. 46... Nb6
2. 47. Ke2
3. 47... Kxa6
4. 48. f3
  [%cal Ye3e4]
47. Rh1
Black resigned here because after
47... Nxc6
48. Ra1+
48... Na5
49. Rba2
White wins.

1-0

7 rules to play positions with Rook vs two minor pieces

Let’s summarize the rules you’ve learned.

If you play with minor pieces, your goal is to maintain as many pieces as possible.
The side with minor pieces is better off with the queens on the board in the vast majority of cases.
The side with the minor pieces should strive to create outposts.
While playing with rook and pawn/pawns, you should be interested to trade the opponent's bishop pair. The other side should strive to maintain their bishop pair.
The side with a rook and pawn/pawns should strive to trade the opponent’s rook to worsen the coordination of his pieces and be able to invade the opponent's camp.
The side with rook and pawn/pawns should strive to create a passed pawn to force one of the opponent's minor pieces to deal with it.
The material count might be misleading in evaluating the positions in many cases. It's more about piece activity and coordination or how dangerous the pawn/pawns are.

I hope these 7 rules can help you evaluate and make wiser decisions when playing Rook vs minor piece endgames.

Good luck!

P.S. Share your thoughts in the forum.

Originally published Nov 1, 2022

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