Chess Patterns ❯ Rook and Queen Techniques ❯ Saavedra Position

Saavedra Position

The Saavedra Position is a rare pawn vs. Rook endgame where the side with the pawn manages to outmaneuver the side with the Rook. The position reflects a famous study composed by Fernando Saavedra in the late 19th century, and features a counterintuitive underpromotion (hence the bottom-right symbol on the icon of the card).

In the diagram above, White plays 1.c7 leaving Black no other option than to start checking White's King: 1...Rd6+ 2.Kb5 Rd5+ 3.Kb4 Rd4+ 4.Kb3 Rd3+ 5.Kc2. At this point, Black cannot continue with the checks, so sets up a stalemate trap with 5...Rd4. White does not fall for it and underpromotes to a Rook: 6.c8=R. Black to prevent checkmate is forced to play 6...Ra4 but ends up losing anyway after 7.Kb3.

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Master the Saavedra Position

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 the Saavedra Position. 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 position.

End Game Tactics: Saavedra Position
Have a look at this nice introduction to the Saavedra Position by The Chess Website. Every step is very clearly explained.

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Can You Solve This? Saavedra Themed Chess Puzzle
In this fine video for intermediate and expert players Chess Vibes presents a very instructive puzzle that shares many similarities with the Saavedra position.

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Chess Killer Tips Podcast Revisited. Episode 10 - the famous Saavedra-Barbier Position
This video by the excellent ChessQueen channel presents the Saavedra position differently. Several positions are analyzed by 12th Women's World Chess Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk in a fun and engaging way. Have a go at it.

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Fundamental Chess Endings*
This book by world experts Müller, Lamprecht, John Nunn is subtitled "The Endgame Encyclopaedia for the 21st Century" for good reason. It is comprehensive and thorough, and it explains the Saavedra position very well. Ideal for serious intermediates and expert players alike.

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Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual*
This book by the legendary Mark Dvoretsky is *THE* definitive guide to endgames. You could spend years studying it. The Saavedra position is included. It’s an absolute must-have for your library!

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