King Rook mate

You know you could have easily mated him the first time you backed him into a corner..... 

Oh and talking about the solution, there are many better ways to do this under 31 moves easily.  

Good

bruh what is this puzzle

This person created this thread back in 2008, then closed their account after just a few months here. I hope they learned how to do this checkmate more easily. There were many missed chances they had and it would help if they kept the opponent's king in "the box."

I explain this checkmate in one of my first videos because it is that fundamental.

This mate is a lot quicker if you know the zugzwang aspect of it. Take this position, with white to move:

A less experienced player will play 1. Ra5, allowing the black king to go to f6, but faster is to keep the rook on the f-file, anywhere from f1 to f4 will do the same thing. Now the black king has to either go to e6, allowing 2. Rf6+ gaining a rank, or to move back to d7 or e7, which allows white to advance his king with 2. Kd5, and the same immediate progress is made.

For example, if 1. Rf1 Kd7 2. Kd5 Ke7 (to prevent 3. Rf6) white can answer with a waiting move like 3. ..Rf2 and black is forced onto the back rank immediately.

If instead 1. ..Kd6 2. Rf6+ Ke7 3. Ke5 Kd7 4. Kd5 and blacks most delaying response is 4. ..Kc7, where again a waiting move like 5. Rh6 puts the kings back in phase and mates checkmate inevitable.

Another thing to remember is that the side of the board is as good as the back rank, so if in a situation like this, the king flees all the way to a6 (white's king being on c5 by then), then Rb6! traps the black king and finishes quickly and easily: