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.

Yugoslav Grandmaster. World Championship candidate. Made a tremendous contribution to chess for well over half a century. A charismatic figure. Creator of many novelties in the openings and author of more than twenty books on the game including probably the World's best seller on chess: Fischer-Spassky match, Reykjavik, 1972. (400,000 copies).

It was this game that first brought Gligoric worldwide fame. Besides being an expert on Rook endings, Smyslov was soon to become the world number two player behind Botvinnik in the 1948 match-tournament for the World Championship. So this win against an illustrious opponent was a big step-up for Gligoric but it was to be a number of years before he would repeat his success.

Normally an extra pawn on the same flank would not be enough to win but in this case the extra pawn is a protected passed pawn. This increases Black's winning chances considerably. The main line that follows are the moves played in the game.

2...e5+? throws away the win after 3.Kf5 Rf3+ 4.Ke6 Rxg3 5.Rc7+ Kg6 6.Rc8 Rg4 7.Rf8 Rf4 8.Rg8+Kh7 9.Kf7 Rg4 10.Re8 Rxh4 11.Kxf6 e4 12.Kg5=;

White's defence could have been strengthened by 7.Rg8! Rb3+ 8.Kf2 Ke4 9.Rg6! The Black Rook prevents the invasion of the King via g4 and defends the g3 pawn. It means the White King can now become active in holding up the advance of Black's passed pawn rather than being the passive spectator as in the game.

8.Kf2 Rb2+! 9.Ke3 Rb3+ 10.Kf2 Kg4! 11.Rg8+ Kh3 12.Rg6 f5 13.Rg5 Rf3+ 14.Ke2 Kg2! The King shelters behind White's g-pawn so as to be able to support the advance of the passed e-pawn 15.Ke1 Rf1+ 16.Ke2 Rf2+ 17.Ke1 e3 18.Rg8 Kf3 19.Rg5 f4 20.gxf4 Ra2 winning;

13.Re7+ Kf6 14.Rh7 Kg6 15.Ra7 Rf2; keeping the White King locked up and making room for the advance of the e-pawn, 16.Re7 Kf6 17.Re8 Rd2 18.Rf8+ Ke5 reaches the main line;

Black resigned. The game might continue: 18...Kd4 19.Rd8+ Ke3 20.Rf8 f4! 21.gxf4 ( 21.Rxf4 Rf2 -+) 21...Kf2 22.f5 e3 23.f6 Rd1 24.Kh2 Rd4 25.Kh3 Rf4 wins.