[Event "K+R+5P vs K+R+6P"] [Site "www.masterchessopen.com"] [Date "1910.01.01"] [Round "0"] [White "Speyer"] [Black "Alekhine"] [Result "0-1"] [EventType "team"] [EventCountry "GER"] [FEN "6k1/6pp/4R3/p1p5/PpP5/2p5/2Pr1PPP/2K5 w - - 0 1"] { In order to be active, the rook requires a lot of space. One of the more reliable general rules is that a rook on the seventh rank is optimally active. This is easy to understand. From opening to endgame, the seventh rank is the rear of the pawn structure. If attacked from the side, the pawns cannot defend on their own. If the pawns have advanced, an attack from rear makes them vulnerable, since their striking power is only forward. Additionally, the opponent's king is often cut off, forcefully limited to its first rank, and exposed to great danger. All of this we already saw in the positions of Diagrams #5, #42 and #43. The devastating effect of a rook on the seventh rank is quite obvious here. } 1.Rc6 Rxf2 2.Kb1 { The mating threat forces White to lose time. } Rf1+ 3.Ka2 Rc1 { Before annihilating White's kingside, Black also captures the c2-pawn with a typical maneuver. } 4.Rxc5 Rxc2+ 5.Kb1 Rb2+ 6.Kc1 Rxg2 7.Rb5 (7.Rxa5 b3) 7...Kf7 8.c5 Ke6 9.c6 Kd6 10.c7 Kxc7 11.Rxa5 Rxh2 { The rest is clear: } 12.Rb5 Rb2 13.a5 Kc6 14.Rb8 Kc5 15.a6 Ra2 16.Rc8+ Kb5 17.Rb8+ Kc4 0-1