SUPPORTED ROOK TRICK BASED ON WEAK BACK RANK,K+Q

SUPPORTED ROOK TRICK BASED ON WEAK BACK RANK,K+Q
Compiled by notyetagm

The supported rook tactic exploits -two- weaknesses in the enemy position: 1) the enemy king is trapped on the back rank, and 2) the enemy king and queen are lined up or can be forced to line up along the back rank.

If you can then threaten to put a rook with support on the 8th rank, you threaten both a back-rank mate and a pin/fork of the enemy king and queen. It is very difficult if not impossible for your opponent to adequately meet both of these threats.

32 ... Ra8 and White cannot stop pin/mate on the first rank
E Mensch vs J Gallagher, 2005
(E81) King's Indian, Samisch, 32 moves, 0-1
26 Qxd6! and the supported rook tactic wins a piece
Seirawan vs Timman, 1990
(E12) Queen's Indian, 26 moves, 1-0
30 Qxe8+! Qxe8 31 Rxe5 threatens 32 RxQ and mate on back rank
Botvinnik vs Boleslavsky, 1941
(C07) French, Tarrasch, 65 moves, 1-0
25 ... Qb3xRd1!! wins material using supported rook tactic
Ponomariov vs Wang Hao, 2007
(D15) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 76 moves, 0-1
27 ... Rc7xNa7? 28 Qa6-d3!! White queen covers h7, supports d8
Seirawan vs Karpov, 1982
(D55) Queen's Gambit Declined, 31 moves, 1-0
29 Qc5xRc8+! then 30 Bd6-e7 leads to standard double attack
Sutovsky vs Kamsky, 2010
(B43) Sicilian, Kan, 5.Nc3, 30 moves, 1-0
Grischuk vs Tkachiev, 2012
(D16) Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, 45 moves, 1-0

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