Rook endgames: Three basic positions

Here three basic rook endgames every chess player should know:

1. The Philidor Position

There is one basic rule in such endgames: You can only win, when you have the control over the queening square.

Here we see, that the black king has the control of it.If black now makes a waiting move like 1....Rh2 for example, he will be after 2. Kd6! in a dilemma

So the correct move is here:

1.... Rh6!

2. The Lucena -position

Here the white king has already the control of the queening square. But can he deal wit the rook checks from behind? He can,- with the help of his rook

3.The Karstedt- position

Most of the time rook endgames with a a- or h-pawn are not to win. But there are some exceptions. If for example the black king is more than four lines away from the pawn, white can win