Chess Patterns   ❯   King Techniques   ❯   Fortress

  • Fortress strategy card with definition, diagram and tips - front
  • Fortress strategy card with definition, diagram and tips - back
  • Fortress chess icon
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Fortress

Fortress

A Fortress is a defensive setup where the weaker side creates an impenetrable position that the stronger side cannot break through, even with a material advantage. The defending side arranges their pieces in a way that prevents the opponent from making any progress, resulting in a draw.

In the diagram above, White plays 1.Rc3 and ensures the draw by making a well-known fortress. This type of fortress works because White's Rook is protected by the pawn, which in turn is protected by White's King. At the same time, Black's King is cut off by the Rook and can't penetrate the position. Black's Queen alone cannot do much because White's King, regardless of the Queen's attacks, can always remain close enough to the pawn. It's a draw.

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Master the Fortress

When we started adding a playful touch to chess learning, we looked through thousands of videos and hundreds of books to find the best resources out there. Here's our curated selection of the best content we encountered on Fortresses. We also included some smaller creators who are growing fast and we believe deserve your attention. Check out these resources if you want to master this type of endgame positions.

 
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