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. Trainer and Chess Writer. Played in the Soviet Championships 8 times when Soviet chess was at its peak. Became trainer to Maya Chiburdanidze, Lady World Champion. He settled in the United States in his final years where he still enjoyed playing with some success. He was a prolific chess writer. His Exploiting small Advantages, published by Batsford, 1985, was an important contribution to endgame literature.

In this ending White, with his first move, threatens to gain an important tempo by setting up discovered check. This technique along with the interposing check is often used in these difficult Queen endings in order to make progress.

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.