Rook on the Seventh Rank
Find positions with a white rook on the seventh rank — Nimzowitsch's 'pig on the seventh.' Rakes the opponent's pawn base and harasses the king.
About this pattern
A rook on the seventh rank is one of chess's most fearsome pieces, often called a "pig on the seventh" for its appetite for the opponent's pawns. Aron Nimzowitsch's My System highlighted the seventh-rank rook as a strategic outpost, and modern practice continues to treat it that way: the rook attacks the pawn base from the side, restricts the opposing king to the back rank, and often coordinates with another rook (the "blind pigs") for decisive material gains. Reaching the seventh is an almost-automatic strategic goal in any open or semi-open position.