The Three Philidors

by Malik Dannarzai
(Gwadar, Pakistan)

Philidor Position

Philidor Position

The Philidor position is an important position in chess. It arises in the endgame at the time in which the climax of the game arrives. This kind of chess endgame actually gives a drawing strategy when a defender has a king and rook vs a king, rook and pawn. The Philidor Position is also called as the Third Rank Defense.

It is called so because of the importance of the rook on the third rank cutting off the opposing king. This endgame was first noted and analyzed by Francois-Andre Danican Philidor in 1777. This position is one of the most frequently occurring positions in endgame strategy.

Most rook and pawn versus rook endgames reach either the Philidor Position or the Lucena Position if played in a proper way. The Philidor position has three variants actually:


  1. Rook and Pawn versus Rook

  2. Queen versus Rook

  3. Rook and Bishop versus Rook



The important trademark characteristics of this position are:

  • The defending king (White in this diagram) is on the queening square of the pawn (or adjacent to it). The pawn can be on any file.

  • The opposing pawn has not yet reached the defender's third rank (it's sixth rank).

  • The opposing king is beyond the defender's third rank.

  • The defender's rook is on the third rank, keeping the opposing king off that rank.



Maybe it's an old strategy but it's a 100% reliable strategy to defend in this kind of endgame.

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Oct 22, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstar 		My most Favourite Strategy
by: Dipu Devapal

Thank you Mr. Malik to bring my attention to this area of the chess game, and I find the Philidor Position a very strategically important theme especially in the final steps of the game, as it makes chess more competitive.
Oct 22, 2012
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starstarstarstar 		Element of Surprise
by: Rajasekar jayaraj

Thank you Malik for bringing this technique to our attention. I am always glad to surprise my opponent with tricks like this to change the outcome. It's great to even get a draw from what seems an uphill struggle.
Oct 22, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Frequently Recurring
by: Bobby K Oommen

This position is mentioned here as one of the most frequently occurring endgame positions. It just keeps cropping up. We should all thoroughly study and practice these positions and the related moves.
Oct 21, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Play the Philidors Position with Confidence
by: Abdul Aseez

Malik you make a difficult concept for beginners so easy to understand. We can bring about and play the Philidors Position with confidence. These endgame building blocks are what the novice needs to master in order to progress. The overall content was interesting. Thank you for sharing.
Oct 21, 2012
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starstarstarstarstar 		Philidor Position Endgame Strategy
by: David Peterson

Being new to the chess game, I don't know these little techniques so well. I'm slowly learning several ways to play in the endgame, including the Philidor Position. I certainly didn't know that there were not 1, not 2, but 3 seperate Philidor Positions!
Oct 21, 2012
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starstarstarstar 		Interesting Name for
by: Billy W

an interesting strategy. Endgame tactics like this can be neglected by those who emphasize defeating the opponent in a sweep, but when playing a closely matched opponent such knowledge can be invaluable.
Oct 21, 2012
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Prevent Defeat by 3 Philidors
by: Ramamoorthy

All three Philidor Positions are interesting methods to prevent defeat by keeping your rook active. You must not let that enemy King on to your third rank. When you understand these techniques and others like it you can consider yourself an intermediate player.

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