Two endgame ideas

Rooks on the seventh (both if you can)
Use your King
Do both if you can!

Here's some examples:

Click [...] to see list of games

[Event "WCh"]
[Site "Brissago SUI"]
[Date "2004.10.18"]
[Round "14"]
[White "Kramnik, V."]
[Black "Leko, P."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B12"]
[WhiteElo "2770"]
[BlackElo "2741"]
[Annotator "Top 10: endgames"]
[PlyCount "81"]
[EventDate "2004.09.25"]
[EventType "tourn"]

{White's King is driven into the heart of Black's defences by sheer force of
will, a nice echo of Petrosian's game} 1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 Bf5 4. h4 h6 5.
g4 Bd7 6. Nd2 c5 7. dxc5 e6 8. Nb3 Bxc5 9. Nxc5 Qa5+ 10. c3 Qxc5 11. Nf3 Ne7
12. Bd3 Nbc6 13. Be3 Qa5 14. Qd2 Ng6 15. Bd4 Nxd4 16. cxd4 Qxd2+ 17. Kxd2 Nf4
18. Rac1 h5 19. Rhg1 Bc6 20. gxh5 Nxh5 21. b4 a6 22. a4 Kd8 23. Ng5 Be8 24. b5
Nf4 25. b6 Nxd3 26. Kxd3 Rc8 27. Rxc8+ Kxc8 28. Rc1+ Bc6 29. Nxf7 Rxh4 30. Nd6+
Kd8 31. Rg1 Rh3+ 32. Ke2 Ra3 33. Rxg7 Rxa4 34. f4 Ra2+ {The black King has no
moves. The white King lights the blue touch-paper...} 35. Kf3 Ra3+ 36. Kg4 Rd3
37. f5 Rxd4+ 38. Kg5 exf5 39. Kf6 Rg4 40. Rc7 Rh4 41. Nf7+ 1-0

[Event "London"]
[Site "London"]
[Date "1922.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Alekhin, Alexander"]
[Black "Yates, F."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D64"]
[Annotator "Top 10: endgames"]
[PlyCount "75"]
[EventDate "1922.??.??"]

{A game which seems to illustrate the positional elements in turn. Clear
themes and a cracking finish.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Be7 5. Bg5
O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Rc1 c6 8. Qc2 Re8 9. Bd3 dxc4 10. Bxc4 Nd5 11. Ne4 f5 12.
Bxe7 Qxe7 {Bad bishop.} 13. Ned2 b5 14. Bxd5 cxd5 15. O-O a5 16. Nb3 {Dark
squares.} a4 17. Nc5 Nxc5 18. Qxc5 Qxc5 19. Rxc5 b4 20. Rfc1 {Controlling the
file.} Ba6 21. Ne5 {Outpost in front of a backward pawn.} Reb8 22. f3 b3 23. a3
h6 24. Kf2 Kh7 25. h4 Rf8 26. Kg3 {KUFTE.} Rfb8 27. Rc7 {Seventh rank.} Bb5 28.
R1c5 Ba6 29. R5c6 Re8 30. Kf4 Kg8 31. h5 Bf1 32. g3 Ba6 33. Rf7 Kh7 34. Rcc7 {
Seventh absolute.} Rg8 35. Nd7 Kh8 36. Nf6 {Silent sacrifice.} Rgf8 37. Rxg7
Rxf6 38. Ke5 {A final quiet move wins.} 1-0

[Event "Oostende Masters"]
[Site "Ostend"]
[Date "1907.05.21"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Van Vliet, Louis"]
[Black "Znosko Borovsky, Eugene"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "D00"]
[Annotator "strategy: rooks on ranks/files"]
[PlyCount "74"]
[EventDate "1907.05.16"]
[EventRounds "29"]
[EventCountry "BEL"]

{A game mostly about rooks} 1. d4 d5 2. e3 c5 3. c3 e6 4. Bd3 Nc6 5. f4 {
The dangerous Stonewall Attack. Castling quickly would be dangerous for Black.}
Nf6 6. Nd2 Qc7 {! Just great. White completely misses the point. Black plans
to open the c-file.} 7. Ngf3 {?!} cxd4 {'!'} 8. cxd4 (8. exd4 Qxf4) (8. Nxd4 e5
) 8... Nb4 {'!'} 9. Bb1 Bd7 10. a3 Rc8 {'!'} 11. O-O (11. axb4 Qxc1 $15) 11...
Bb5 {'-/+!'} 12. Re1 (12. axb4 Bxf1 13. Qxf1 Qxc1 $19) 12... Nc2 13. Bxc2 Qxc2
14. Qxc2 Rxc2 {[#]} 15. h3 Bd6 (15... Ne4 16. Nxe4 dxe4 17. Ng5 f5 (17... Bc6 {
[%csl Gc6][%cal Gc8c2]}) (17... Bd3 {[%csl Ge8,Gf8,Gh8]}) 18. Nxe6) 16. Nb1 Ne4
(16... O-O {is safe but pointless!}) 17. Nfd2 Bd3 18. Nxe4 Bxe4 (18... dxe4 $5)
19. Nd2 Kd7 {'!' no need to castle} 20. Nxe4 dxe4 21. Rb1 Rhc8 {Complete
control of the c-file.} 22. b4 {'?'} R8c3 {'!'} 23. Kf1 Kc6 (23... g5 $5) 24.
Bb2 Rb3 {[#] The Black Rooks have invaded, making threats from side to side}
25. Re2 Rxe2 26. Kxe2 Kb5 {Black's King arrives quickly, thanks to not castling
} 27. Kd2 Ka4 28. Ke2 {[#] Black's pieces are as good as they are going to get.
} a5 {'!'} 29. Kf2 (29. bxa5 Bxa3 (29... Kxa5) 30. Bxa3 Rxb1) 29... axb4 30.
axb4 Kxb4 31. Ke2 Kb5 32. Kd2 Ba3 {'!'} 33. Kc2 Rxb2+ {'!' Win when you're
winning} 34. Rxb2+ Bxb2 35. Kxb2 Kc4 36. g4 (36. Kc2 b5 {0-1 van
vliet-znosko-borovsky 1907 (CHERNEV) Van Vliet-Znosko-Borovsky,E rooks on
files: open 1907}) 36... Kd3 37. g5 Kxe3 0-1

[Event "New York"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1924.??.??"]
[Round "6"]
[White "Capablanca, JR."]
[Black "Tartakower, S."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A80"]
[Annotator "Top 10: endgames"]
[PlyCount "103"]
[EventDate "1924.??.??"]

{much more lively, and brimming with confidence} 1. d4 f5 (1... e6 2. Nf3 f5)
2. Nf3 e6 3. c4 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. e3 b6 7. Bd3 Bb7 8. O-O Qe8 9. Qe2
Ne4 10. Bxe7 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Qxe7 12. a4 Bxf3 13. Qxf3 Nc6 14. Rfb1 Rae8 15. Qh3
Rf6 16. f4 Na5 17. Qf3 d6 18. Re1 Qd7 19. e4 fxe4 20. Qxe4 g6 21. g3 Kf8 22.
Kg2 Rf7 (22... Qc6 23. Qxc6 Nxc6 24. c5 Re7) 23. h4 d5 24. cxd5 exd5 25. Qxe8+
Qxe8 26. Rxe8+ Kxe8 27. h5 Rf6 (27... gxh5 28. Rh1 Kf8 29. Rxh5 Kg8 30. Rxd5)
28. hxg6 hxg6 29. Rh1 Kf8 (29... Ke7 30. Rh7+ Rf7 {else 31.Rg7} 31. Bxg6) 30.
Rh7 {[#] rook on the seventh} Rc6 31. g4 (31. Rd7 {?} Nc4 32. Rxd5 Ne3+) 31...
Nc4 32. g5 Ne3+ 33. Kf3 {[#]} Nf5 (33... Nd1 {this counterattack fails,
because of White's strong King and K-side pawns} 34. Rh6 Kg7 35. f5 Nxc3 36.
Kf4 Ne4 37. Bxe4 dxe4 38. f6+ Rxf6+ 39. gxf6+ Kxh6 40. Kxe4 Kh7 41. Kd5 Kg8 42.
Kc6 g5 43. Kxc7 g4 44. d5 g3 45. d6 g2 46. d7 g1=Q 47. d8=Q+ Kh7 48. Qe7+ Kh6
49. Qg7+ Qxg7+ 50. fxg7 Kxg7 51. Kb7 Kf7 52. Kxa7 Ke7 53. Kxb6 Kd7 54. Kb7) 34.
Bxf5 gxf5 {[#]} 35. Kg3 Rxc3+ 36. Kh4 Rf3 37. g6 Rxf4+ 38. Kg5 Re4 {[#]} 39.
Kf6 {using the f-pawn as cover} Kg8 40. Rg7+ Kh8 41. Rxc7 Re8 42. Kxf5 Re4 43.
Kf6 Rf4+ 44. Ke5 Rg4 45. g7+ {[#]} Kg8 (45... Rxg7 46. Rxg7 Kxg7 47. Kxd5 Kf7
48. Kd6 {!} Ke8 49. Kc7 Ke7 50. d5) 46. Rxa7 Rg1 47. Kxd5 Rc1 48. Kd6 Rc2 49.
d5 Rc1 50. Rc7 Ra1 51. Kc6 Rxa4 52. d6 {[#] 1-0 capablanca,j-tartakower,s/rook
ending: seventh rank (new york) 1924} (52. d6 {! by declining the Kxb6 capture
White's K gets shelter} Rd4 53. d7 Rc4+ 54. Kb7 Rd4 55. Kc8) 1-0

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