Welcome to this active site. Each week I am going to present to you a endgame position for you to solve or to workout the best continuation. Computer analysis will also be considered. Some of these positions will come from actual historical games. Others will be composed endgame studies, but all the solutions will be relevant to the practical game. The new position will occur each SUNDAY and I will always be pleased to receive POSITIVE feedback about the positions and the analysis and I will try to acknowledge these where relevant.

International Master. Endgame Composer. Fortunately Mitrofanov survived the siege of Leningrad to become one of Russia's greatest composers. He published more than 250 studies. Winner of three FIDE gold medals for studies. With Vladimir Fyodorov he wrote: Deceptive Simplicity, (1992).

Black has a huge material advantage with his three extra pieces and the h2 pawn near to queening. White's only hope is to attack with his pawns:

1. Cumulative 2001 Prizes: 1st £100 or equivalent, 2nd £50, 3rd £30; 4th £20. (Total Prize Money=£200) Entries limited to 20 solvers. This event will run from 7/1/2001 to 30/12/2001. Present CUMULATIVE COMPETITION rules apply but note the prizes will go to those participants who climb the ladder the greatest number of times during the year. The relative position of the solver's name on the ladder will decide the allocation of prizes.

2. Endgame Solving Tournaments 2001. The nature of these events are changing. They will be directed at mainly new or intermediate solvers and will not be too difficult. No money prizes but a book prize for the highest placed newcomer. Events will take place at Easter, Summer and Christmas each consisting of 5 positions to solve. Present strict rules will apply; no computer analysis.