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.

 

World Champion 1921-1927. Cuban Grandmaster and chess writer. After Capablanca lost the world championship in 1927, he played in many tournaments in order to prove to the chess world his right for a return match against Alekhine. In the Easter of 1929 he won an interesting event at Ramsgate, England. This tournament was organised in the Scheveningen system where seven foreigners played against seven British players. Again we see his great gifts to the fore: his strength , energy, ease and accuracy in the endgame.

White has a space advantage and the more active pieces, and will be able to attack on two fronts. He will be able to swap pawns on c6 and prepare the all important break with f5. The Black Rook will be tied down defending the weak pawns. The King and Rook will soon invade the enemy position. The following main line is the actual moves played in the game:

Capablanca made a special study of Rook and pawn endings and when he had a slight positional advantage he was devastating. Many of his endings have become classical and will repay careful study. They are an important part of the beautiful inheritance of chess.

1. Cumulative 2003 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 5/1/2003 to 22/12/2003 with a recess in July. Present 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.