Rook endings are the most common ones. Two ideas almost always help. The first: an active rook, which attacks and moves freely, is worth more than a passive rook, which only defends. The second: the rook belongs behind the , yours or the rival’s. Behind your pawn, the rook pushes it and gains room with every step; in front of it, the rook gets shut in. Here the rook on a1 stands behind the pawn on a5.