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. In the 1940s he had a string of excellent results which propelled him to the top of world chess. His best result was coming equal first with Bronstein in the 1950 Candidates tournament. But recent revelations by Bronstein and Smyslov, who came 3rd, put doubt on the validity of the final outcome (see below). He narrowly lost the play-off match to decide who would be Botvinnik's challenger for the World Championship.

Black has an extra pawn on the queenside, a beautifully centralized Bishop, and a Rook controlling the open c-file. The double pawns are not a weakness because they are not easily attacked and besides the e6 square is a good position for the King. White cannot activate his Rook because of the threat of mate on the back rank.

It seems that Boleslavsky agreed to draw his final two games in the 1950s Candidates to give Bronstein a chance to tie for first place.

Smyslov: Boleslavsky agreed to the draws after bowing to pressure. Vainstein wanted to make sure Botvinnik was defeated, and he knew Boleslavsky didn't have a good record against the world champion. Boleslavsky drew his final game as White in a promising position against Stahlberg, while Bronstein was beating Keres in a brilliant game.

Bronstein: "Isaac Boleslavsky was leading in the Candidates' Tournament, but after a talk he had with Boris Vainstein he decided to slow down to allow me to tie for first place with him. Vainstein would try to arrange a tournament with Botvinnik, Boleslavsky and myself for the World Championship. Alas, it did not come about and we had to meet in a play-off for the right to challenge Botvinnik". "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," Cadogan Books, London, 1995

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.