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 1963-69. Soviet Grandmaster. In the early 1950's, Petrosian emerged from the ranks of Soviet Masters to become a leading player and a Candidate for the world championship. It was on the the island of Curacao, in the Caribbean, where he had his greatest triumph, taking first place in the 5th Candidates' Tournament (+8 =9) and so becoming Botvinnik's challenger for the World Championship.

Bobby Fischer got off to a poor start at Curacao and never was in contention. He had had a miserable record against Petrosian which wasn't about to change. It was only a decade later that Fischer began to outscore him.

White hopes to fix the "a7" pawn as a weakness but by seeking the exchange of the Rooks, he could have made the win technically more difficult: 5.Rf1 Rxf1+ 6.Kxf1 Nc4 7.Nb5 Nxa5 8.Nxa7 Nc4 -+;

Play could have continued: 17.Rf2 a5 18.Ke5 Ra7! (18... a4? leads only to a draw after 19. Rf8+ Ka7 20.Rf4 Rb5+ 21.Kd6! Ra5 22.Kc6 Ra6+ 23.Kc7 because of the perpetual check after Rb4 etc.) 19.Kd6 a4 20.Kc6 Rc7+ 21.Kb6 Rb7+ 22.Ka6 a3 23.Rf8+ Kc7 24.Rf7+ Kc6 25. Rxb7 a2 Black wins.

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.