Welcome to this active site. Each week I am going to present to you an 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.

 

This position has a material balance betweeen a Rook and two pawns against the Knight and Bishop. In the middlegame giving up two pieces for a Rook and a couple of pawns is never an equal exchange because the minor pieces are more active. But as the board begins to clear the situation changes. The Rook gains in strength due to the clear open files and with two pawns becomes an equal if not superior force against two minor pieces. Even though Black has a poor pawn structure with his doubled pawns he is winning because he has the advantage of quickly obtaining a powerful passed pawn:

4... Rf3 5.Ne2 b2 6.Kc2 Rxd3 7.Nf4 Rd2+ 8.Kxd2 b1Q 9.Nxd5+ Kb3 10.Ne3 Kxa4 11.Bd4 Kb3 12.Ke2 a4 Black wins.

Chess champion Vladimir Kramnik is to try and stem the progress of DEEP FRITZ 7, the worlds 'smartest' chess supercomputer. He will play a match of eight games against the computer in BAHRAIN in late October.

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.