For the first time you have to write about a chess player, the facts of whose biography have been erased in the annals of history. It is not mentioned in the Encyclopedic Dictionary "Chess." Even in Gage's comprehensive reference book "Chess Personalities," the name of V.V. Soldatenkov is absent. But miraculous monuments of his work were found: recordings of parties, compositions, theoretical articles. Examining them in chronological order, it was possible to create a contour portrait of the hero of the story. The collection of the resulting rather meager material and its study took several years. Absolutely not sorry for the time spent. On the contrary, I am happy to restore the name of a talented Russian chess player for posterity!