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Pont de Lucéna
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Pont de Lucéna
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La position de Lucena, les Blancs gagnent. |
Aux échecs, la position de Lucena est l’une des plus connues et des plus importantes positions de finales du jeu d’ échecs. Elle est fondamentale dans la finale tour et pion contre tour.
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Présentation
[Haut de page]
La position dite de Lucena tire son nom du joueur espagnol Luis Ramírez Lucena, bien que cela soit impropre, cette position ne figurant pas dans son manuel des échecs Repetición de Amores e Arte de Axedrez de 1497. Elle apparait cependant dans le livre Il Puttino d’ Alessandro Salvio en 1634, un récit romantique sur la carrière du joueur d’échecs Leonard da Cutri et c’est sous cette forme qu’elle est donnée ici ( Müller et Lamprecht 2001, p. 179).
La position est celle du diagramme de droite. Les caractéristiques sont les mêmes si on voit la position à travers un miroir, ou si le pion se trouve sur une des colonnes b à g. Le but des Blancs est de promouvoir le pion ou d’obliger les Noirs à sacrifier leur tour contre le pion, ce qui conduit à une finale technique gagnante. Les Blancs sont parvenus à avancer le pion jusqu’à la septième rangée, mais ils ne peuvent pas le promouvoir car le pion est gêné par son propre roi. Les Blancs aimeraient déplacer le roi et promouvoir le pion, mais il ne peuvent le faire vers la colonne a à cause de la tour noire, ni vers la colonne c, en raison du roi noir.
Les caractéristiques essentielles de la position sont :
- le pion peut être sur n’importe quelle colonne sauf a et h,
- le pion est sur la septième rangée,
- le roi blanc (celui avec le pion) est sur la case de promotion,
- la tour blanche sépare le roi adverse du pion d’au moins une colonne,
- la tour noire est sur la colonne de l’autre côté du pion.
Une tentative naïve des Blancs telle que :
- 1.Td1+ Re7
- 2.Rc7
n’aboutit à rien. Les Noirs se contentent de harceler le roi blanc d’échecs, et les Blancs ne progressent pas :
- 2. … Tc2+
- 3. Rb6 Tb2+
- 4. Ra7 Ta2+
- 5. Rb8
La méthode gagnante : construire un pont
[Haut de page]
Dans la position de Lucena, les Blancs ont une méthode gagnante qui fonctionne pour tout pion sauf sur les colonnes a et h (la méthode peut aussi fonctionner pour ses pions du bord, si la tour blanche est déjà sur la 4e rangée, si la tour noire n’est pas sur une colonne adjacente au pion, et que les Blancs sont au trait). Il existe une méthode alternative qui ne fonctionne qu’avec les pions sur la colonne c ou f.
Dans la position de Lucena plus haut, les Blancs gagnent avec :
- 1. Td1+ Re7
- 2. Td4!.
Maintenant, si les Noirs jouent un coup d’attente, tel que :
- 2…Ta1
en espérant harceler le roi Blanc avec des échecs comme dans la variante décrite plus haut, les Blancs continuent comme ceci :
- 3. Rc7 Tc1+
- 4. Rb6 Tb1+
- 5. Rc6 Tc1+ (ou 5. Ra6 Ta1+)
- 6. Rb5 Tb1+
- 7. Tb4!.
La tour noire ne peut plus mettre le roi blanc en échec, et les Noirs sont incapables d’empêcher la promotion. La formation du bouclier du pion et du roi par la tour est connue sous le nom de construire un pont.
Il est important que la tour blanche aille initialement sur la 4e rangée si les Noirs utilisent leur meilleure défense : les échecs continuels du roi adverse. Si les Noirs abandonnent cette défense, la tour blanche peut construire un pont sur la 5e rangée, dans la variante précédente, après
- 5. Rc6
Si les Noirs jouent
- 5… Re6
il y a un piège tendu aux Blancs : si 6.Td5?? (pour construire un pont sur la 5e rangée) alors 6…Txb7! fait nulle. Cependant si
- 6. Td6+ Re7
- 7. Td5!
les Blancs peuvent construire un pont sur la 5e rangée en plaçant leur tour en b5, le roi en b6 et ensuite le pion est promu ( Ward 2004).
- 7… Tc1+
- 8. Rb6 Tb1+
- 9. Tb5
et les Blancs gagnent.
Trait aux Noirs
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Si les Noirs sont au trait dans la position du diagramme, ils peuvent empêcher la tour blanche d’aller sur la 4e rangée, mais les Blancs gagnent quand même :
- 1… Ta4
- 2. Td1+ Re7
- 3. Rc7 Tc4+
- 4. Rb6 Tb4+
- 5. Ra6 Tb2
(La tour noire n’est pas assez loin pour continuer à donner des échecs : si 5…Ta4+ alors 6.Rb5 gagne). Maintenant, les Blancs gagnent en empêchant les échecs par
- 6. Td5
suivi de
- 7. Tb5 ( Emms 1990, p. 17)
Plan alternatif pour la défense
[Haut de page]
Les autres plans de défense des Noirs ne donnent rien de mieux. Après 1.Td1+ Re7 2.Td4 plus haut suit
- 2…Tb2
par exemple, les Blancs peuvent quand même mener à bien leur plan décrit plus haut, ou ils peuvent gagner avec le simple :
- 3.Ta4 Rd7
- 4.Ra8 (ou 4.Ra7) …Rc7
- 5. Tc4+
qui chasse le roi Noir et permet la promotion (ou 5.b8D Txb8 6.Tc4+ gagne la tour)
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The Lucena position is one of the most famous and important positions in chess endgame theory, where one side has a rook and a pawn and the defender has a rook. It is fundamental in the rook and pawn versus rook endgame. If the side with the pawn can reach this type of position, he can forcibly win the game. Most rook and pawn versus rook endgames reach either the Lucena Position or the Philidor Position if played accurately ( de la Villa 2008:125).
The position is incorrectly named after the Spaniard Luis Ramirez de Lucena. The name « Lucena » is pronounced « Loo THAY na » in Castilian Spanish ( Shenk 2006:79).
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Introduction
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The so-called Lucena position is named after the Spaniard Luis Ramirez de Lucena, although is something of a misnomer, because the position does not in fact appear in his book on chess, Repetición de Amores e Arte de Axedrez (1497). It does appear, however, in Alessandro Salvio’s Il Puttino (1634), a romance on the career of the chess player Leonard da Cutri, and it is in that form that it is given here ( Müller & Lamprecht 2001:179). [1] Salvio attributes it to Scipione Genovino ( Hooper & Whyld 1992:238).
The position is shown above and below (the position can be moved as a whole or mirrored so that the pawn is on any of the files b through g). White’s aim is to either promote his pawn or else compel Black to give up his rook for it – either result will leave White with an overwhelming material advantage and a straightforward win. White has managed to advance his pawn to the seventh rank, but it is prevented from queening because his own king is in the way. White would like to move his king and then promote his pawn, but is prevented from moving to the a-file by the black rook, and prevented from moving to the c-file by the black king.
The essential characteristics of the position are:
- the pawn is any pawn except a rook pawn
- the pawn has advanced to the seventh rank
- the attacking king (the one with the pawn) is on the queening square of its pawn
- the attacking rook cuts off the opposing king from the pawn by at least one file
- the defending rook is on the file on the other side of the pawn
An obvious approach by White such as
- 1.Rd1+ Ke7
- 2.Kc7
gets nowhere. Black can simply harass the white king with checks, and White makes no progress:
- 2. … Rc2+
- 3. Kb6 Rb2+
- 4. Ka7 Ra2+
- 5. Kb8
The winning method: building a bridge
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In the Lucena position, the side with the pawn has a winning method that works for any pawn except a rook pawn (i.e. on the a- or h-file). In some circumstances, it also works for a rook pawn.
In this position, White can win with
- 1. Rd1+ Ke7
- 2. Rd4!
Now, if Black plays a waiting move, such as
- 2…Ra1
hoping to harass the white king with checks again as in the above variation, White continues
- 3. Kc7 Rc1+
- 4. Kb6 Rb1+
- 5. Kc6 Rc1+ (or 5. Ka6 Ra1+)
- 6. Kb5 Rb1+
- 7. Rb4!
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The black rook can no longer check the white king and Black cannot prevent the pawn from queening ( Ward 2004:48). White’s shielding his king and pawn with the rook in this way was described as « building a bridge » by Aron Nimzowitsch ( Hooper & Whyld 1992:238).
It is important that the white rook go initially to the fourth rank if Black uses his most active defense: repeatedly checking the white king. If Black abandons this defense, the white rook can build a bridge on the fifth rank. In the line above, after
- 5. Kc6
if Black moves
- 5… Ke6
there is a trap for White: if 6. Rd5?? (to build a bridge on the fifth rank) then 6…. Rxb7! draws. However, if
- 6. Rd6+ Ke7
- 7. Rd5!
and White can build a bridge on the fifth rank by getting the rook to b5, the king to b6, and then the pawn can promote ( Ward 2004:48–49) (position reflected):
- 7… Rc1+
- 8. Kb6 Rb1+
- 9. Rb5
and White wins.
Black to move
from Emms
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If Black is to move in the diagramed position, he can prevent the white rook from going to the fourth rank, but then White still wins:
- 1… Ra4
- 2. Rd1+ Ke7
- 3. Kc7 Rc4+
- 4. Kb6 Rb4+
- 5. Ka6 Rb2
(The black rook is not far enough away to keep checking: if 5… Ra4+ then 6. Kb5 wins.) Now White wins by blocking the checks with
- 6. Rd5
followed by
- 7. Rb5 ( Emms 2008:17) (position reflected).
Bridge on the fifth rank
from de la Villa
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A bridge can also be built on the fifth rank (but it is better to build one on the fourth rank). The main line goes:
- 1. Rf5 (instead of 1. Rf4!)
- 1… Rc1
- 2. Ke7 threatening to promote the pawn, Black can just delay it with checks
- 2… Re1+
- 3. Kd6 Rd1+
- 4. Rd5 [2]
and the pawn will promote. Or
- 1… Kg6
- 2. Ke7?! (better is 2. Rf8 Kg7 3. Rf4!, back to a bridge on the fourth rank)
- 2… Kxf5!
- 3. d8=Q and White has a winning (but difficult) queen versus rook endgame (see pawnless chess endgame) ( de la Villa 2008:126–27).
Alternate plan for the defense
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Alternative approaches are no better for Black. After 1. Rd1+ Ke7 2. Rd4 above, after
- 2…Rb2
for example, White can still carry out his plan as above, or he can win with the simple
- 3.Ra4 Kd7
- 4.Ka8 (or 4.Ka7) Kc7
- 5. Rc4+
chases the black king away and allows the pawn to promote (or 5. b8=Q Rxb8 6. Rc4+ wins the rook).
Rook pawn
Silman, diagram 223
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The Lucena method also works with a rook pawn if the white rook is already on the fourth rank, the black rook isn’t on the file adjacent to the pawn, and White is to move.
Otherwise, the defending king must be cut off four files from the pawn, as in the diagram. This is not a true Lucena position since the king is cut off by more than one file. White wins:
- 1. Rc1 Ke7
- 2. Rc8 Kd6!
- 3. Rb8 Ra2
- 4. Kb7 Rb2+
- 5. Kc8 Rc2+
- 6. Kd8 Rh2!
- 7. Rb6+ Kc5
- 8. Rc6+! Kxc6
- 9. a8=Q+
and White has a won queen versus rook endgame – one that is easier to win than one where the rook is close to its king ( Silman 2007:223–26).
Similar positions may be drawn
de la Villa, position 10.4
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Not all similar positions are wins. In this position, Black draws because he can safely check from the side. For this defense to work, there must be at least three files between the defending rook and the attacking king and the defending king must be so that it doesn’t block the checks. That is, the defending king is on the « short side » of the pawn (the one with fewer files between the pawn and the edge of the board) ( de la Villa 2008:127–28). (See the « short side defense » at rook and pawn versus rook endgame for more details.)
Conclusion
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There is an alternate method for winning this type of position that works only for pawns on the c-file through the f-file, see Rook and pawn versus rook endgame.
Rook and pawn endgames occur quite often in chess, about eight to ten percent of all games ( de la Villa 2008:18), ( Emms 2008:6). This position is very important since endgames may simplify to it. As it is a known win, endgames sometimes revolve around the player with the pawn trying to reach the Lucena position and the other player trying to prevent it.
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