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.

 

Soviet Master and Endgame Analyst. One of the worlds great experts on Rook endings. He was responsible for the section on these endings in Averbakh's original Comprehensive Chess Endings series but nowadays he has been largely forgotten.

This study is similar to one composed by Emanuel Lasker way back in 1890, with the same material, but Kopayev gives it a different finale. The idea that Lasker discovered became known as the Lasker manoeuvre and is worth remembering because it occurs in practical play. White's advantage lies in his superior King position but he has to find a way to deal with the checks from the Rook so that he has time to queen the e-pawn.

1. Cumulative 2002 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 6/1/2002 to 22/12/2002 with a recess in July. 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 2002. They will be directed at 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.