Wrong rook pawn
A wrong rook pawn is an a-pawn or h-pawn whose promotion square is the opposite color to its side's bishop, so king, bishop and pawn cannot win once the defending king reaches the corner in front of it.
Also called: rook pawn draw
Rook pawns are already the hardest pawns to promote, because the defending king can often reach the corner in front of them. A bishop that runs on the other color from that corner adds nothing to the attack: it can never control the promotion square, so it cannot help drive the king out. Once the defending king sits on the corner, or on the square beside it, the attacker can only shuffle, and any attempt to box the king in completely leaves it with no legal move, which is stalemate. The pawn can be healthy and the bishop well placed, yet the result is a draw. The attacker's only chance is to keep the defending king away from the corner in the first place, using the king or the bishop to guard the squares it needs. For the stronger side, the lesson is to count before simplifying: when deciding which pawns to keep, a pawn on another file is worth far more than a rook pawn of the wrong color, and a second pawn often keeps the win alive. For the defender, the lesson is the reverse. Trade off the other pawns, run the king to the corner, and remember that stalemate is a resource, so being material down here is no reason to resign.
Also worth reading is Queen versus pawn. Queen versus pawn is an endgame in which a queen faces an enemy pawn that is about to promote, and the queen usually wins except against a bishop or rook pawn defended by a nearby king.
It sits close to Wrong-colored bishop. A wrong-colored bishop runs on the opposite color to the queening square of its side's rook pawn, so it can never cover that corner or drive out a defending king sitting there, and the ending is drawn.
If "Wrong rook pawn" has cost you half a point, a first lesson is a good place to find the pattern behind it: George Li goes through your games and builds a plan.
Related terms
A wrong-colored bishop runs on the opposite color to the queening square of its side's rook pawn, so it can never cover that corner or drive out a defending king sitting there, and the ending is drawn.
A rook pawn is a pawn on the a-file or the h-file, the edge of the board, which has fewer capture options and gives the attacker less room to maneuver.
Stalemate is a draw that occurs when the side on move has no legal move at all while its king is not attacked, so the game ends on the spot with half a point to each player.
A theoretical draw is a position in which perfect play by both sides leads to a draw, so neither player can force a win no matter how many moves are left.
A fortress is a position the weaker side can hold indefinitely: its king, pieces and pawns cover every entry route, so the side with extra material has nothing to aim at and the game ends in a draw.
Guides that go further
What to decide first, the questions to ask, what a first lesson should show and the red flags to avoid.
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A game review, a read on your level and a written study plan from George Li.
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A first lesson starts with your games: George reviews them and builds a study plan around what he finds.