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 Grandmaster, World Championship Candidate. He was among the world's top players for over twenty years. He won the Soviet Championship twice; in 1955 he tied with Smyslov, then defeated him in the play-off and again he won it in 1979 at the age of 54. The closest he came to the World Championship was in the 1962 Candidates when he was equal second with Keres, half a point behind Petrosian.

 

At a glance this ending may look drawn but White has the advantage of an outside passed b-pawn and the more active pieces. The White Rook and Bishop combine well together to attack weaknesses on both sides of the board.  

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.