Is there a general rule as to whether a Rook and King can checkmate a King? Does it end in a draw? Does it depend strongly on the configuration? Etc.
I’ve got a game against the computer program Arasan where I’ve got the rook and king and the program has the king. I find I can beat the program with these pieces, but I don’t know if that’s because it’s really a winnable position or if the program just isn’t playing it correctly.
An example position from which I win the game against Arasan is: White King on B8, White Rook on G5, Black King on F4, White’s turn to move.
Am I supposed to be able to win from this position, or should it be a draw?
Bishop, Knight and King vs. King is also a checkmate, but a difficult one. There is a method and it should be learned by a serious chess player, though.
Specifically: Get your Rook away from the enemy King while you bring your own King up. After that, gradually encroach on the enemy King’s territory. Note that in some position such as Kf6 and Rd4 versus Kf4, the weaker King must retreat. Eventually you repeat this position on the edge of the board, and that’s mate.
There is a position such as Ka6, Nb6, Nc6 versus Ka8 that is mate, but it is easily shown that this cannot be forced. Try it out, and if in doubt, ask.
