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Plate IV

The Rook

STAUNTON PATTERN · CRENELLATED · WEIGHTED

5 POINTS · BEHIND THE PASSED PAWN

Straight lines only — but the whole rank or file at a stroke.

The Rook

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  1. 1Crenellations
  2. 2Weighted base

[The spec]

Move
Any distance — rank or file
Value
5 points
Starts on
a1, h1 / a8, h8
Rule
Rooks belong behind passers

[At the board]

Worth five, it is the piece that castles with the king and the one Tarrasch tells you to place behind a passed pawn, yours or the enemy’s. Two connected rooks on an open file are a tournament game’s heavy artillery — which is why giving one up for a minor piece is losing “the exchange.”

[Take it home]

Carry the position as original merch in the first run, or read the deeper club-grade guides.