The Philidor position (or Philidor's position) is a chess endgame involving a drawing technique for the defending side in the rook and pawn versus rook endgame. This technique is known as the third- defense due to the positioning of the defending rook. It was analyzed by François-André Danican Philidor in 1777. Many rook and pawn versus rook endgames reach either the drawn Philidor position or the winning Lucena position. The defending side should try to reach the Philidor position; the attacking side should try to reach the Lucena position. Said grandmaster Jesús de la Villa, "[The Lucena and Philidor positions] are the most important positions in this type of endgame [...] and in endgame theory." Description The diagram shows an example of Philidor's position. The important characteristics of the position are (from the point of view of the defender): The defending king (White in this diagram) is on the queening square of the pawn (or adjacent to it). The pawn can be on any . The opposing pawn has not yet reached the defender's third rank (its sixth rank). The opposing king is beyond the defender's third rank. The defender's rook is on the third rank, keeping the opposing king off that rank. Black would like to get his king to the e3-square and threaten checkmate to force the white king away from the queening square of the pawn, e1. The white rook on the third rank prevents that. If Black checks with the rook from the side, White simply keeps the king in front of the pawn by alternating between squares e1 and e2. If Black offers an exchange of rooks White should take it, since the resulting king and pawn endgame is drawn (see King and pawn versus king endgame). So Black's only winning chance is to advance the pawn. The basic idea for the defender is to keep his rook on his third rank until the pawn advances to that rank, then check the opposing king from behind. Here is a possible continuation: 1... Rb2 If 1...e3, advancing the pawn immediately, then 2.Ra8 draws since Black's king cannot escape checks without losing the e-pawn, when the resulting position in which each side is playing with a king and a rook, is a draw. 2. Rc3 Ra2 3. Rb3 e3 There is little else for Black to try. If Black retreats the rook, the white king can advance,