Lucena position

The Lucena position occurs in a king, rook, and pawn versus king and rook ending. The attacking pawn stands on the seventh rank, the rank immediately before promotion, and its king occupies the promotion square in front of it. The attacking rook keeps the defending king away. The pawn is normally not on the a- or h-file, the two edge files, because an edge pawn leaves less room for the winning maneuver.

Building the bridge

1. Give a useful check to push the defending king farther away when needed.
2. Move the attacking rook to its fourth rank, where it can later serve as a shield.
3. Bring the king out from in front of the pawn. The enemy rook will check from the side or rear.
4. Interpose the rook between the check and the king. This shelter is the bridge, allowing the pawn to promote.

The method does not stop every check immediately. The king advances through checks until the rook can cover it without abandoning the pawn. The exact move order depends on the rook locations and the side to move.

Lucena is the best-known winning model for this material. The Philidor position is instead a drawing defense before the attacking king and pawn advance so far. Against a rook pawn, other methods may be needed, including the Vancura defense.