Philidorpositie

The Philidor position is a classical defensive setup in rook endgames named after the 18th‑century French chess master François-André Danican Philidor. It describes a fortress-like arrangement that allows the defender to hold a draw against a side with a passed pawn and rook.

In the Philidor position, the defending rook is placed behind the enemy pawn on the same file, while the king sits in front of the rook from the defender’s perspective. This configuration blocks the advancing pawn and prevents the attacker from making progress without risking tactical concessions. The defender aims to maintain the barrier, use the rook to give checks to the opposing king, and keep pawns on the board to maintain drawing chances. The attacker usually tries to provoke a breakthrough or steer the game toward a winning rook endgame, such as the Lucena position.

Relation to other endgames: The Philidor position is contrasted with the Lucena position, which is the standard winning technique for the side with the rook when promoting a passed pawn. While the Lucena method focuses on building a bridge to promote the pawn, the Philidor setup emphasizes consolidating a blockade and perpetual activity of the rook to prevent promotion.

History and usage: The term reflects Philidor’s analysis in his Endgame principles and is widely discussed in chess endgame literature as a fundamental drawing technique in rook endgames. It remains a key concept for understanding how rook and pawn endgames can be defended and drawn.