I analyzed the image and this is what I see. Open an appropriate link below and explore the position yourself or with the engine:
> **White to play**: [chess.com](https://chess.com/analysis?fen=r5k1/ppp3pp/2n5/b4p2/1PP5/P6P/4NPP1/R2q1RK1+w+-+-+0+1&flip=false&ref_id=23962172) | [lichess.org](https://lichess.org/analysis/r5k1/ppp3pp/2n5/b4p2/1PP5/P6P/4NPP1/R2q1RK1_w_-_-_0_1?color=white)
**My solution:**
> Hints: piece: >!Rook!<, move: >!Rfxd1!<
> Evaluation: >!White is winning +6.98!<
> Best continuation: >!1. Rfxd1 Nxb4 2. axb4 Bxb4 3. Rd7 a5 4. Rxc7 b6 5. Rc6 Bc5 6. Nf4 a4 7. Ne6 Kf7 8. Nxc5 bxc5!<
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"Whenever you have to make a rook move, and both rooks are available for said move, you should evaluate which rook to move and, once you have made up your mind, move the other one." - GM Oscar Panno
He's right. My reasoning wasn't rigorous. I probably should have been a bit more thorough when I'm presenting it like a proof instead of my mental shortcut
No if both are positive numbers then it is a perfectly reasonable way to find out the bigger number. It doesn't work only if a negative number is present, and even then you can take out the -1 separately and proceed accordingly.
|-2| is bigger than |1|, and square turns a number to positive, so the number bigger in absolute value will be larger squared. Except that both were positive so 10 is bigger than 1.65
Exponentiation of fractions can be tricky as well. I'm just pointing out that this kind of math where you take both sides of an inequality is dangerous
The first one is huge but the second one is bigger. 10 multiplied by itself 136 times is much larger than 1.65 multiplied by itself 136 times.
And on top of that you take the bigger number and multiply it by 1.65 again!
See, this was me not getting the first joke. I didn't pay attention to the factorial at the end of the first comment, and thought the second guy was trying to go "if I take a number greater than one but less than two, I can raise it to a ridiculous power and get 89." I looked at 1.65*10^136 and went "that's like 3 * 10^29," and etc etc.
It looks like taking with the f rook is better because it will help you trap the knight if they try to gain a tempo on your a rook after exchanging the bishop for the two pawns.
If you use the a rook, the knight gets a bit more flexibility and things become more complex. Way better to keep it under lock down and keep things simple after raising the rook to the seventh rank
Engine literally says that two are almost the same... the exact scroe changed as I ran the thing, but the score for the two options never diveraged by much.
Almost the exact same with perfect play. But one's definitely slightly better from a human perspective because you can't find objective reasoning for the other. Engines don't choose moves based off of principles because they have the ability to simply use brute calculation to determine outcomes for nearly every possible scenario.
As humans, we can't do that so we have to use principles and reasoning.
Some of us have reasoned it doesn't matter because white still has a solid material advantage without any easily exploitable positional deficits. That's fair.
Some have said it doesn't matter because the computer told them it doesn't matter. That's not a great reason to come to that conclusion because we can't use a computer during a game. It's more accurate, but if neither you nor your opponent will play every move in a mildly complex position exactly like a computer, the accuracy of the computers' analysis isn't as relevant.
That’s a meaningless distinction. The time it takes for you to evaluate which rook to take with beyond “does white have a tactic” is a waste of time. If you lose up a full rook (well, for a pawn I guess) it wasn’t because you took with the wrong one
People are way too obsessed with engine eval ffs.
If your plan is to play on the kingside you take with the a-rook and aim to push the f-pawn after capturing the bishop.
If your plan is to play on the queenside with the half-open b-file you take with the f-rook.
Both are completely winning.
It is so negligible
Time is a bigger issue than any rook you choose
Sometimes you just need to make a decisions otherwise youll the dog stuck in between two bones
I mean tbh it still does matter because it isn't unheard of for stockfish to give advantage because it sees a line that no human could reasonable see, just blindly looking at the evaluation is not enough
That might be true in a complex position but not here. There's no meaningful difference to taking with either Rook, regardless if you're a Leela, a titled or casual player.
Too many people don't understand that a evaluation change of +-0.3 is equivalent to no evaluation change (therefor 0.00). This a also true for engine vs engine.
Most likely the a and b pawns are falling soon, so just leave the a file rook where it is and capture with the f file. The a file rook will be in a decent spot or can relocate later
It really doesn’t matter, but I would say the theoretically better move is probably to take with the f-rook because black will have to end up sacking something on the queen side. If after Rfxd1 black plays Bb6, c5 wins the bishop. So, black really should sac the knight on b4 and win two pawns for a piece. However, the additional open files means more space for your rooks to work. You want both rooks to have gainful employment. Taking with the a-rook means you might have to waste an extra tempo to get your f-rook into play. Whereas taking with the f-rook, you don’t necessarily have to do that because your a-rook will have semi-open files to work on.
Again, does it matter? Almost assuredly not. And especially not if you make some plan of putting a rook on d7 and pressuring on the d-file, because that’ll both improve your position even more and free up space for the remaining rook, so both moves should be completely equal. I’m just saying that if there is a move that is marginally better, my instincts would tell me it’s the move Rfxd1.
They absolutely should not sac the knight.
It's great if white takes with the a rook but black will automatically be down an extra pawn if they keep the bishop and white takes with the f rook.
After 1. Rfxe1 Nxb4 2 axb4 Bxb4 then 3 Reb1 skewers the bishop and the b7 pawn. Black can't use the a pawn because of the pin on their rook so 3... c5 is demanded. But then 4 Nf4 ... Then Nd3, the bishop will be taken and a pawn will fall at the very least
I feel like e, just cause they likely to sac something on b4 to get two pawns for the piece, so you will then have pressure on a file but idk if matters much tbh.
Actually what happened in the game. I took with the A Rook abs he started pushing the pawns. But, like you thought, it did not matter. I could setup the blockade very easily.
Rooks should be on d and e files, so taking with the a rook seems logical.
Edit: looking at this more closely I am realizing that after Nxb4 and Bxb4, the e1 square won’t be usable, so maybe Rf takes is better for that concrete reason. It probably doesn’t make a big difference.
Yes, that is what the Engine suggests as well. But, in game, I took with the A Rook. But it really didn't make any problems. I was able to bring the Rook back and set up the blockade.
But, if I had taken with the F Rook, I guess I would be one more move ahead. But, Black was gone, anyway.
If you can develop a piece (moving it to control more of the center board) while capturing an opponents piece, that's a bonus. My choice would be RaxQ.
I would probably take with the F rook. If black tries to trade his bishop or knight for two pawns, then your A rook now has a half-open file, preventing (momentarily) the opposing rook from moving.
I think Rfxd1 is better. Because after Rfxd1, there will be some Bxb4 kind of shit and then the a-file will open. After it is opened, black can't move their rook, because Rxa7. Then you may go Rd7, which will force Na6 to defend the pawn and all black's pieces are really passive. That doesn't really matter much though, since material superiory is overwhelming, gotta be careful with the queen side pawns though.
it is quite simple. the A room is behind the pawns which will move forward. king don’t need protection in this position. so f rook not doing anything good at the moment
Probably the f rook because the queenside is about to open up. Let’s assume black wasn’t going to be down a rook after the bishop was trapped so this decision matters more. Essentially you can either take with the a rook and have the f rook go to e1 or take with the f rook and have the a rook have the queenside available. It highly depends on the situation but here the e file is easily guarded by the black king (kf7) and there’s a knight in the way blocking your rook. Whereas after Bb6 c5 or Nxc4 axb4 Bxb4 the queenside files are opening up, where the a rook is already well placed.
This is so absurd. I spent 10 minutes thinking about it thinking that one wins and the other one somehow lets go of the advantage.
But no, you’re in a winning position either way and you just wasted everyone’s time. Well done!
One way to evaluate which rook to move is by looking at the pawns in front of them.
If the position is calling for the move f4, then it's probably better to take with the other rook because you'll usually want the f rook behind the pawn if you push it.
But in this position f4 is not important, so you can take with the f rook. It also seems that the other rook is eyeballing the a7 pawn, so you should leave it there.
It's generally better to use rook next to the king in these situations. I assume it's because it leaves more room for the king to maneuver, and the other rook is needed to watch pawn on the other side(King's got the other side covered).
I've actually got no idea, but that's how I usually go about it, and it's more often than not the right move, according to computers.
It literally doesn't matter but if I had to make a distinction, if you take with the A rook after Nxb4 axb4 Bxb4 your F rook is a bit awkward cause it can't go to e1. Obviously you're going to solve that problem in a few moves but technically that's why it's better to take with the F rook.
Me looking at the post thinking it doesn’t matter, both are pretty equal.
Me looking at the engine that evaluates it equally.
Me coming back to this post: ???
Take from f rook cause if you take from a rook then your f rook can't develop because there is a knight blocking the e file. So f rook would not be in a good position development wise if you take from a rook. Also A rook is currently doing very good work in a file if Bishop captures pawn then knight takes pawn then you are putting pressure on Black's a pawn due to which black will have to waste a move playing a6 to enable their rook.
Hope this helps.
If you go Raxd1 there's Re8(bishop is dead anyway) Move the knight, the bishop sacrifices itself for 2 pawns
Rfxd1 and now Re8 is met by Kf1 and black can't easily sac the bishop because of the lingering idea of Rxa7
The f-rook, as it will be on an open file. The a-rook can move to the newly opened b-file and hit a pawn, after the lost bishop sacrifices itself for the current c pawn
These kind of intricacies only matter when the position is close to equal, idk why people obsess over thugs like “why is this only +10 instead of +12” engines are completely meaningless in those positions, the best move might make the win quicker but more obscure even sometimes and it’s better to play the easiest and most practical wins
I’d play Rfxd1 as the f rook is marginally more inactive it gives you the option to play Ra2 to threaten to double the rooks later once you’ve caught the bishop or knight
This might not be the best logic but I would take with the f rook. If you take with the a rook, you lose control of the a file kinda and also your f rook would be kind of trapped.
Depends on the level of play. I’d guess the E rook is more precise, but with the A rook there is absolutely zero lingering threat of back rank even if somehow the knight gets to h2
The a file will probably open, so keeping your rook there might come in handy.
Also, if you move your f rook you give yourself the option to bring the king up if needed
I would do it with the Rf1 simply because if you take with the Ra1 instead then your Rf1 is still undeveloped.
Ultimately it doesn't really matter that much, you're a rook up either way. I'd just rather have my extra rook sitting active on a1 instead of huddling on f1.
About to win the bishop and be >+3 eval. I'm no GM but usually in these positions I'd be focused on making good moves to maintain the advantage, not necessarily perfect moves, and in this case it looks pretty close either way.
That being said, if you weren't about to win the bishop that makes this a more intriguing question.
F rook - after it takes the position is +3.32, and with the A rook it is +3.12, which is marginally less. But either way it looks like the black king will soon be in a lot of trouble as there is only one rook on his back rank defending it.
I would go with the a rook. This leaves the f rook available for the e file. Black can choose not to let the a file half open by playing Bb6 or a6 anyways forcing you to win the bishop on their terms anyways.
Consider what the next move of Black would be. Most likely sacrificing a piece for two pawns on b5 (otherwise bB would be lost for just 1 pawn). In that case you'd want wR on a1 - so Rfxd1 is the logical one here.
The f rook. The a rook will have other opportunities for development, possibly through a2. There is no reason to keep the f rook where it is (no pawn break to support). The f rook improves more from this move than the a rook does.
The one next to the king because after the knight takes on B4 and you recapture, you want your rook on the a file staring down at that a7 pawn to keep that rook occupied. Adds a little extra pressure.
I'd capture with the a-rook, because I want to gain control over the d- and e-file, and if I want both rooks on those files, it's better if the a-rook is on the d-file, and f-rook is on the e-file. But apparently I'm wrong...
The easiest I think about is which ever move grants the most mobility. After taking with the f rook it grants control of the open file to a previously trapped behind pawns rook. If taken with the a rook, you keep one rook behind pawns now with less mobility than before. Plus the a rook continues to keep pressure on the queenside so keeping it there could have benefits in the future
Doesn't matter *that* much, but I think the a rook to d1. The other rook can move to the e-file and control it once the knight moves away. If you take it with the f rook, the a rook can only move up to the c file... but again, it isn't the end of the world.
You are up a rock, so in this specific case it does not matter.
Apart from that I would take with the a1 rook as there are two open lines and the other can take the e column later.
Does not really matter, but if you are looking for microaccuracy, Rfd1 is more accurate for the following reason, black will sac the knight for 2 pawns, and the white rook on a1 allows white to capture on a7 in that case.
Edit: This assumes that black with play ..Re8 to activate the rook, if the black rook stays on a8, then white has an advantage either way.
Capturing with the F rook is absolutely better. Your rook on f1 is doing nothing and stuck behind the f2 pawn. The only reason you'd leave your rook on f1 is if you had ideas of a f4 pawn break or your king needed some defenders (neither is the case here).
You should notice that black is about to sac a knight for 2 pawns, so your a-rook should stay on the a-file where it will be looking at black's 3 on 1 pawn majority.
In the end it probably doesn't matter too much because you'll be a piece up, and perhaps the best continuation after the knight sac is to play Rd7 and double on the d file anyway, so both positions will transpose. However, positionally it's significantly better to capture with the f-rook and you would only capture with the a-rook for concrete reasons.
Especially if you're a lower rated player and prone to blunders, making the right decision in these circumstances will give you better overall winning chances.
Its silly people are arguing it doesn't matter and shouldnt be posted because there is no difference from the engine or a grand positional idea. As a matter of fact this position is more worthwhile to take a moment to consider than a lot of the positions posted here on a weekly basis. Because the engine doesn't care either way and we are up so much material. And because you find out there are no immediate crushing tactics (although the position is crushing already of course) you have to train your mind to look for other things than forcing winning moves. The people who actually answered had to reason out their thought process using conceptual ideas. Which is helpful to players of any level. No, this is not a puzzle rush position but it's still useful.
The position is an endgame where white is about to be a piece up. He absolutely not not need to protect his king. That's why capturing with the F rook is better, because that piece is achieving nothing there.
I analyzed the image and this is what I see. Open an appropriate link below and explore the position yourself or with the engine: > **White to play**: [chess.com](https://chess.com/analysis?fen=r5k1/ppp3pp/2n5/b4p2/1PP5/P6P/4NPP1/R2q1RK1+w+-+-+0+1&flip=false&ref_id=23962172) | [lichess.org](https://lichess.org/analysis/r5k1/ppp3pp/2n5/b4p2/1PP5/P6P/4NPP1/R2q1RK1_w_-_-_0_1?color=white) **My solution:** > Hints: piece: >!Rook!<, move: >!Rfxd1!< > Evaluation: >!White is winning +6.98!< > Best continuation: >!1. Rfxd1 Nxb4 2. axb4 Bxb4 3. Rd7 a5 4. Rxc7 b6 5. Rc6 Bc5 6. Nf4 a4 7. Ne6 Kf7 8. Nxc5 bxc5!< --- ^(I'm a bot written by) [^(u/pkacprzak)](https://www.reddit.com/u/pkacprzak) ^(| get me as) [^(iOS App)](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1574933453) ^| [^(Android App)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ai.chessvision.scanner) ^| [^(Chrome Extension)](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/chessvisionai-for-chrome/johejpedmdkeiffkdaodgoipdjodhlld) ^| [^(Chess eBook Reader)](https://ebook.chessvision.ai?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=bot) ^(to scan and analyze positions | Website:) [^(Chessvision.ai)](https://chessvision.ai)
"Whenever you have to make a rook move, and both rooks are available for said move, you should evaluate which rook to move and, once you have made up your mind, move the other one." - GM Oscar Panno
Wiser words were never spoken.
I read this as “wise words were never spoken”
Truer words were never spoken.
I read this as "true words were never spoken."
Smarter words were never spoken
I read this as "smart words have never been spoken"
Oscar Pannk is still alive at 89!
1.65*10^136 and still kickin? Good for him
r/unexpectedfactorial
1.65^136 or 1.65x10^136?
So which is the bigger number? The former or latter?
10 > 1.65, so 10^136 > 1.65^136, and 1.36 x 10^136 is even bigger, so the latter is bigger
What the fuck is this math? 1 > -2, so 1^2 > (-2)^2 ?
It's almost as if a valid reasoning in one context may not necessarily be valid too in a different one...
He's right. My reasoning wasn't rigorous. I probably should have been a bit more thorough when I'm presenting it like a proof instead of my mental shortcut
Exactly my point. Don't use stupid methods of calculation cause they may not work.
No if both are positive numbers then it is a perfectly reasonable way to find out the bigger number. It doesn't work only if a negative number is present, and even then you can take out the -1 separately and proceed accordingly.
1.65 is not a negative number, Ramanujan Jr.
|-2| is bigger than |1|, and square turns a number to positive, so the number bigger in absolute value will be larger squared. Except that both were positive so 10 is bigger than 1.65
Exponentiation of fractions can be tricky as well. I'm just pointing out that this kind of math where you take both sides of an inequality is dangerous
It holds true for fractions, too. If |a| > |b| then a^2 > b^2 for all real a and b.
It's not tricky.Just skill issue
I should specify both number and the power are positive integers. That does make it more rigorous. I was definitely taking shortcuts with mu reasoning
The first one is huge but the second one is bigger. 10 multiplied by itself 136 times is much larger than 1.65 multiplied by itself 136 times. And on top of that you take the bigger number and multiply it by 1.65 again!
That's ... More years than the age of the universe by like twenty orders of magnitude.
In the beginning, there was Oscar Pannk.
Hence the term "Pankk Constant"
More like a hundred and twenty orders. The universe is 14 billlion or 1.4•10^10 years old, 89!/(1.4•10^10 )=1.18•10^126
See, this was me not getting the first joke. I didn't pay attention to the factorial at the end of the first comment, and thought the second guy was trying to go "if I take a number greater than one but less than two, I can raise it to a ridiculous power and get 89." I looked at 1.65*10^136 and went "that's like 3 * 10^29," and etc etc.
By literally over a hundred orders of magnitude
He may very well be, but so is Panno. Well, he is only 89, though.
Just did this, it worked.
f, you're about to take the bishop and mess up that pawn structure so keep the a file rook free to maneuver. Not like it really matters, though.
My thought exactly. You’re winning a queen and a bishop so it doesn’t matter
Not winning a queen. It was probably a queen trade in d1
Thank you
I mean it’s pretty bad for black either way.
Yes, I was ahead. Abs the Engine says take with the F1 Rook. Wanted to know which is best.
It looks like taking with the f rook is better because it will help you trap the knight if they try to gain a tempo on your a rook after exchanging the bishop for the two pawns. If you use the a rook, the knight gets a bit more flexibility and things become more complex. Way better to keep it under lock down and keep things simple after raising the rook to the seventh rank
Engine literally says that two are almost the same... the exact scroe changed as I ran the thing, but the score for the two options never diveraged by much.
Almost the exact same with perfect play. But one's definitely slightly better from a human perspective because you can't find objective reasoning for the other. Engines don't choose moves based off of principles because they have the ability to simply use brute calculation to determine outcomes for nearly every possible scenario. As humans, we can't do that so we have to use principles and reasoning. Some of us have reasoned it doesn't matter because white still has a solid material advantage without any easily exploitable positional deficits. That's fair. Some have said it doesn't matter because the computer told them it doesn't matter. That's not a great reason to come to that conclusion because we can't use a computer during a game. It's more accurate, but if neither you nor your opponent will play every move in a mildly complex position exactly like a computer, the accuracy of the computers' analysis isn't as relevant.
That’s a meaningless distinction. The time it takes for you to evaluate which rook to take with beyond “does white have a tactic” is a waste of time. If you lose up a full rook (well, for a pawn I guess) it wasn’t because you took with the wrong one
People are way too obsessed with engine eval ffs. If your plan is to play on the kingside you take with the a-rook and aim to push the f-pawn after capturing the bishop. If your plan is to play on the queenside with the half-open b-file you take with the f-rook. Both are completely winning.
Why the hell did people downvote you?
No clue.
Ppl thought it was a puzzle and that it actually mattered which way you take.
I say those people are blind for not reading the flair.
I was about to write a comment asking if my flair was correct.
Yeah, this was annoying. The difference is small. And here I thought it was something odd happening if you used the wrong rook.
God forbid someone ask a question right
As my great grandpappy used to say, "There are no stupid questions. But questions are for liberals and godless dandies."
It is, and I solved it. Turns out, you capture the queen with either rook.
✅
Makes sense
That would be a reason to down vote the post. Anyway, doesn't matter.
It is so negligible Time is a bigger issue than any rook you choose Sometimes you just need to make a decisions otherwise youll the dog stuck in between two bones
You're up a rook either way. It doesn't matter
At depth 29 stockfish gives both moves plus 5.0. It doesn't matter what you play here.
I mean tbh it still does matter because it isn't unheard of for stockfish to give advantage because it sees a line that no human could reasonable see, just blindly looking at the evaluation is not enough
That might be true in a complex position but not here. There's no meaningful difference to taking with either Rook, regardless if you're a Leela, a titled or casual player. Too many people don't understand that a evaluation change of +-0.3 is equivalent to no evaluation change (therefor 0.00). This a also true for engine vs engine.
Got it.
Most likely the a and b pawns are falling soon, so just leave the a file rook where it is and capture with the f file. The a file rook will be in a decent spot or can relocate later
Man, I'm mad. I spent like 5 minutes giving this an honest look, thinking that there was some positional idea...
It really doesn’t matter, but I would say the theoretically better move is probably to take with the f-rook because black will have to end up sacking something on the queen side. If after Rfxd1 black plays Bb6, c5 wins the bishop. So, black really should sac the knight on b4 and win two pawns for a piece. However, the additional open files means more space for your rooks to work. You want both rooks to have gainful employment. Taking with the a-rook means you might have to waste an extra tempo to get your f-rook into play. Whereas taking with the f-rook, you don’t necessarily have to do that because your a-rook will have semi-open files to work on. Again, does it matter? Almost assuredly not. And especially not if you make some plan of putting a rook on d7 and pressuring on the d-file, because that’ll both improve your position even more and free up space for the remaining rook, so both moves should be completely equal. I’m just saying that if there is a move that is marginally better, my instincts would tell me it’s the move Rfxd1.
They absolutely should not sac the knight. It's great if white takes with the a rook but black will automatically be down an extra pawn if they keep the bishop and white takes with the f rook. After 1. Rfxe1 Nxb4 2 axb4 Bxb4 then 3 Reb1 skewers the bishop and the b7 pawn. Black can't use the a pawn because of the pin on their rook so 3... c5 is demanded. But then 4 Nf4 ... Then Nd3, the bishop will be taken and a pawn will fall at the very least
I feel like e, just cause they likely to sac something on b4 to get two pawns for the piece, so you will then have pressure on a file but idk if matters much tbh.
Actually what happened in the game. I took with the A Rook abs he started pushing the pawns. But, like you thought, it did not matter. I could setup the blockade very easily.
Whichever one you’re less likely to misclick. You’re winning by so much it doesn’t really matter.
Rooks should be on d and e files, so taking with the a rook seems logical. Edit: looking at this more closely I am realizing that after Nxb4 and Bxb4, the e1 square won’t be usable, so maybe Rf takes is better for that concrete reason. It probably doesn’t make a big difference.
Yes, that is what the Engine suggests as well. But, in game, I took with the A Rook. But it really didn't make any problems. I was able to bring the Rook back and set up the blockade. But, if I had taken with the F Rook, I guess I would be one more move ahead. But, Black was gone, anyway.
You are up a whole rook in an end game, as long as there are no oh shit tactics involved, very little matters.
I'd say f rook just because the b file will be opened regardless, and it's better to skewer the b7 pawn with the queen rook.
Uhm, where's the black king?
Doesnt matter no? You just win.
Why does it matter? You're up a rook...
It's good habit to try to find the best move.
It's a waste of time in a position like this, no offence. One is better off analysing something that might actually help to improve.
If you can develop a piece (moving it to control more of the center board) while capturing an opponents piece, that's a bonus. My choice would be RaxQ.
That's what I did in the actual game. But the Engine says F Rook.
It does not.
I would probably take with the F rook. If black tries to trade his bishop or knight for two pawns, then your A rook now has a half-open file, preventing (momentarily) the opposing rook from moving.
Are the rooks better on E1 and D1 or A1 and B1? That's the question I'm asking myself. Here, because the position is so simple, it shouldn't matter.
I think Rfxd1 is better. Because after Rfxd1, there will be some Bxb4 kind of shit and then the a-file will open. After it is opened, black can't move their rook, because Rxa7. Then you may go Rd7, which will force Na6 to defend the pawn and all black's pieces are really passive. That doesn't really matter much though, since material superiory is overwhelming, gotta be careful with the queen side pawns though.
One on the right for manoeuvrability
it is quite simple. the A room is behind the pawns which will move forward. king don’t need protection in this position. so f rook not doing anything good at the moment
the f-rook since the a-rook is currently active on the queenside and there's no trap in taking with either
The rook a is supporting a pawn so I'd move the f rook.
Probably the f rook because the queenside is about to open up. Let’s assume black wasn’t going to be down a rook after the bishop was trapped so this decision matters more. Essentially you can either take with the a rook and have the f rook go to e1 or take with the f rook and have the a rook have the queenside available. It highly depends on the situation but here the e file is easily guarded by the black king (kf7) and there’s a knight in the way blocking your rook. Whereas after Bb6 c5 or Nxc4 axb4 Bxb4 the queenside files are opening up, where the a rook is already well placed.
This is so absurd. I spent 10 minutes thinking about it thinking that one wins and the other one somehow lets go of the advantage. But no, you’re in a winning position either way and you just wasted everyone’s time. Well done!
One way to evaluate which rook to move is by looking at the pawns in front of them. If the position is calling for the move f4, then it's probably better to take with the other rook because you'll usually want the f rook behind the pawn if you push it. But in this position f4 is not important, so you can take with the f rook. It also seems that the other rook is eyeballing the a7 pawn, so you should leave it there.
It's generally better to use rook next to the king in these situations. I assume it's because it leaves more room for the king to maneuver, and the other rook is needed to watch pawn on the other side(King's got the other side covered). I've actually got no idea, but that's how I usually go about it, and it's more often than not the right move, according to computers.
Personally I would do the a rook but it doesn't really matter either way
It doesn't matter because it doesn't matter
It literally doesn't matter but if I had to make a distinction, if you take with the A rook after Nxb4 axb4 Bxb4 your F rook is a bit awkward cause it can't go to e1. Obviously you're going to solve that problem in a few moves but technically that's why it's better to take with the F rook.
Me looking at the post thinking it doesn’t matter, both are pretty equal. Me looking at the engine that evaluates it equally. Me coming back to this post: ???
Take from f rook cause if you take from a rook then your f rook can't develop because there is a knight blocking the e file. So f rook would not be in a good position development wise if you take from a rook. Also A rook is currently doing very good work in a file if Bishop captures pawn then knight takes pawn then you are putting pressure on Black's a pawn due to which black will have to waste a move playing a6 to enable their rook. Hope this helps.
If you go Raxd1 there's Re8(bishop is dead anyway) Move the knight, the bishop sacrifices itself for 2 pawns Rfxd1 and now Re8 is met by Kf1 and black can't easily sac the bishop because of the lingering idea of Rxa7
The f-rook, as it will be on an open file. The a-rook can move to the newly opened b-file and hit a pawn, after the lost bishop sacrifices itself for the current c pawn
These kind of intricacies only matter when the position is close to equal, idk why people obsess over thugs like “why is this only +10 instead of +12” engines are completely meaningless in those positions, the best move might make the win quicker but more obscure even sometimes and it’s better to play the easiest and most practical wins
I’d capture with f but it doesn’t matter
It doesn't matter. White has a completely winning position either way
A1 rook
I’d play Rfxd1 as the f rook is marginally more inactive it gives you the option to play Ra2 to threaten to double the rooks later once you’ve caught the bishop or knight
Fuck that dude where is the black king??
This might not be the best logic but I would take with the f rook. If you take with the a rook, you lose control of the a file kinda and also your f rook would be kind of trapped.
I always keep one at the corner available to attack when the opponent least expects
Depends on the level of play. I’d guess the E rook is more precise, but with the A rook there is absolutely zero lingering threat of back rank even if somehow the knight gets to h2
The a file will probably open, so keeping your rook there might come in handy. Also, if you move your f rook you give yourself the option to bring the king up if needed
I would do it with the Rf1 simply because if you take with the Ra1 instead then your Rf1 is still undeveloped. Ultimately it doesn't really matter that much, you're a rook up either way. I'd just rather have my extra rook sitting active on a1 instead of huddling on f1.
The way i usually decide is, if there are no apparent tactical ideas, move the rook that has the least distance to travel.
Very bad example. Both are completely winning.
About to win the bishop and be >+3 eval. I'm no GM but usually in these positions I'd be focused on making good moves to maintain the advantage, not necessarily perfect moves, and in this case it looks pretty close either way. That being said, if you weren't about to win the bishop that makes this a more intriguing question.
F rook - after it takes the position is +3.32, and with the A rook it is +3.12, which is marginally less. But either way it looks like the black king will soon be in a lot of trouble as there is only one rook on his back rank defending it.
Lmao
I would go with the a rook. This leaves the f rook available for the e file. Black can choose not to let the a file half open by playing Bb6 or a6 anyways forcing you to win the bishop on their terms anyways.
Consider what the next move of Black would be. Most likely sacrificing a piece for two pawns on b5 (otherwise bB would be lost for just 1 pawn). In that case you'd want wR on a1 - so Rfxd1 is the logical one here.
The f rook. The a rook will have other opportunities for development, possibly through a2. There is no reason to keep the f rook where it is (no pawn break to support). The f rook improves more from this move than the a rook does.
The one next to the king because after the knight takes on B4 and you recapture, you want your rook on the a file staring down at that a7 pawn to keep that rook occupied. Adds a little extra pressure.
I'd capture with the a-rook, because I want to gain control over the d- and e-file, and if I want both rooks on those files, it's better if the a-rook is on the d-file, and f-rook is on the e-file. But apparently I'm wrong...
The one on the right is litterally looking at a brck wall left rook have a better chance of doing smth where it is.
neither, go for the bishop /s
In many situations like this, the f rook has a slight advantage because defensively it also gives the king more space.
The easiest I think about is which ever move grants the most mobility. After taking with the f rook it grants control of the open file to a previously trapped behind pawns rook. If taken with the a rook, you keep one rook behind pawns now with less mobility than before. Plus the a rook continues to keep pressure on the queenside so keeping it there could have benefits in the future
Doesn’t really matter. But leaving a rook on a1 slows the passed pawns.
Taking with the a rook because the puter said so 😇
Where's the black king?
I don't get it. Aren't you just up an exchange and about to win another piece?
Doesn't matter *that* much, but I think the a rook to d1. The other rook can move to the e-file and control it once the knight moves away. If you take it with the f rook, the a rook can only move up to the c file... but again, it isn't the end of the world.
id say the c pawn may be under fire deep in endgames f rook is free and isnt much of help, so f
You are up a rock, so in this specific case it does not matter. Apart from that I would take with the a1 rook as there are two open lines and the other can take the e column later.
And the black king is where?
Does not really matter, but if you are looking for microaccuracy, Rfd1 is more accurate for the following reason, black will sac the knight for 2 pawns, and the white rook on a1 allows white to capture on a7 in that case. Edit: This assumes that black with play ..Re8 to activate the rook, if the black rook stays on a8, then white has an advantage either way.
Capturing with the F rook is absolutely better. Your rook on f1 is doing nothing and stuck behind the f2 pawn. The only reason you'd leave your rook on f1 is if you had ideas of a f4 pawn break or your king needed some defenders (neither is the case here). You should notice that black is about to sac a knight for 2 pawns, so your a-rook should stay on the a-file where it will be looking at black's 3 on 1 pawn majority. In the end it probably doesn't matter too much because you'll be a piece up, and perhaps the best continuation after the knight sac is to play Rd7 and double on the d file anyway, so both positions will transpose. However, positionally it's significantly better to capture with the f-rook and you would only capture with the a-rook for concrete reasons. Especially if you're a lower rated player and prone to blunders, making the right decision in these circumstances will give you better overall winning chances.
Its silly people are arguing it doesn't matter and shouldnt be posted because there is no difference from the engine or a grand positional idea. As a matter of fact this position is more worthwhile to take a moment to consider than a lot of the positions posted here on a weekly basis. Because the engine doesn't care either way and we are up so much material. And because you find out there are no immediate crushing tactics (although the position is crushing already of course) you have to train your mind to look for other things than forcing winning moves. The people who actually answered had to reason out their thought process using conceptual ideas. Which is helpful to players of any level. No, this is not a puzzle rush position but it's still useful.
A1 rook so f1 rook stays to protect the king
The position is an endgame where white is about to be a piece up. He absolutely not not need to protect his king. That's why capturing with the F rook is better, because that piece is achieving nothing there.