diff --git a/beacon_node/Cargo.toml b/beacon_node/Cargo.toml
index 44e6cda01..1db739d7c 100644
--- a/beacon_node/Cargo.toml
+++ b/beacon_node/Cargo.toml
@@ -13,8 +13,12 @@ clap = "2.32.0"
 db = { path = "db" }
 dirs = "1.0.3"
 futures = "0.1.23"
+genesis = { path = "../eth2/genesis" }
 slog = "^2.2.3"
+slot_clock = { path = "../eth2/utils/slot_clock" }
 slog-term = "^2.4.0"
 slog-async = "^2.3.0"
+spec = { path = "../eth2/spec" }
+types = { path = "../eth2/types" }
 ssz = { path = "../eth2/utils/ssz" }
 tokio = "0.1"
diff --git a/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/tests/chain_test.rs b/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/chain_test.rs
similarity index 96%
rename from beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/tests/chain_test.rs
rename to beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/chain_test.rs
index 8d2cfa501..3d7d54d36 100644
--- a/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/tests/chain_test.rs
+++ b/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/chain_test.rs
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-use chain::{BeaconChain, BlockProcessingOutcome};
+use super::{BeaconChain, BlockProcessingOutcome};
 use db::{
     stores::{BeaconBlockStore, BeaconStateStore},
     MemoryDB,
diff --git a/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/lmd_ghost.rs b/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/lmd_ghost.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7f00a9276
--- /dev/null
+++ b/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/lmd_ghost.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,170 @@
+use super::{BeaconChain, SlotClock};
+use db::{
+    stores::{BeaconBlockAtSlotError, BeaconBlockStore},
+    ClientDB, DBError,
+};
+use slot_clock::TestingSlotClockError;
+use ssz::{ssz_encode, Encodable};
+use std::collections::HashSet;
+use std::sync::Arc;
+use types::{
+    readers::{BeaconBlockReader, BeaconStateReader},
+    validator_registry::get_active_validator_indices,
+    BeaconBlock, Hash256,
+};
+
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq)]
+pub enum Outcome {
+    Something,
+}
+
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq)]
+pub enum Error {
+    DBError(String),
+    MissingBeaconState(Hash256),
+    InvalidBeaconState(Hash256),
+    MissingBeaconBlock(Hash256),
+    InvalidBeaconBlock(Hash256),
+}
+
+impl<T, U> BeaconChain<T, U>
+where
+    T: ClientDB,
+    U: SlotClock,
+    Error: From<<U as SlotClock>::Error>,
+{
+    pub fn slow_lmd_ghost(&mut self, start_hash: &Hash256) -> Result<Hash256, Error> {
+        let start = self
+            .block_store
+            .get_reader(&start_hash)?
+            .ok_or(Error::MissingBeaconBlock(*start_hash))?;
+
+        let start_state_root = start.state_root();
+
+        let state = self
+            .state_store
+            .get_reader(&start_state_root)?
+            .ok_or(Error::MissingBeaconState(start_state_root))?
+            .into_beacon_state()
+            .ok_or(Error::InvalidBeaconState(start_state_root))?;
+
+        let active_validator_indices =
+            get_active_validator_indices(&state.validator_registry, start.slot());
+
+        let mut attestation_targets = Vec::with_capacity(active_validator_indices.len());
+        for i in active_validator_indices {
+            if let Some(target) = self.latest_attestation_targets.get(&i) {
+                attestation_targets.push(target);
+            }
+        }
+
+        let mut head_hash = Hash256::zero();
+        let mut head_vote_count = 0;
+
+        loop {
+            let child_hashes_and_slots =
+                get_child_hashes_and_slots(&self.block_store, &head_hash, &self.leaf_blocks)?;
+
+            if child_hashes_and_slots.len() == 0 {
+                break;
+            }
+
+            for (child_hash, child_slot) in child_hashes_and_slots {
+                let vote_count = get_vote_count(
+                    &self.block_store,
+                    &attestation_targets[..],
+                    &child_hash,
+                    child_slot,
+                )?;
+
+                if vote_count > head_vote_count {
+                    head_hash = child_hash;
+                    head_vote_count = vote_count;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+
+        Ok(head_hash)
+    }
+}
+
+fn get_vote_count<T: ClientDB>(
+    block_store: &Arc<BeaconBlockStore<T>>,
+    attestation_targets: &[&Hash256],
+    block_root: &Hash256,
+    slot: u64,
+) -> Result<u64, Error> {
+    let mut count = 0;
+    for target in attestation_targets {
+        let (root_at_slot, _) = block_store
+            .block_at_slot(&block_root, slot)?
+            .ok_or(Error::MissingBeaconBlock(*block_root))?;
+        if root_at_slot == *block_root {
+            count += 1;
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(count)
+}
+
+/// Starting from some `leaf_hashes`, recurse back down each branch until the `root_hash`, adding
+/// each `block_root` and `slot` to a HashSet.
+fn get_child_hashes_and_slots<T: ClientDB>(
+    block_store: &Arc<BeaconBlockStore<T>>,
+    root_hash: &Hash256,
+    leaf_hashes: &HashSet<Hash256>,
+) -> Result<HashSet<(Hash256, u64)>, Error> {
+    let mut hash_set = HashSet::new();
+
+    for leaf_hash in leaf_hashes {
+        let mut current_hash = *leaf_hash;
+
+        loop {
+            if let Some(block_reader) = block_store.get_reader(&current_hash)? {
+                let parent_root = block_reader.parent_root();
+
+                let new_hash = hash_set.insert((current_hash, block_reader.slot()));
+
+                // If the hash just added was already in the set, break the loop.
+                //
+                // In such a case, the present branch has merged with a branch that is already in
+                // the set.
+                if !new_hash {
+                    break;
+                }
+
+                // The branch is exhausted if the parent of this block is the root_hash.
+                if parent_root == *root_hash {
+                    break;
+                }
+
+                current_hash = parent_root.clone();
+            } else {
+                return Err(Error::MissingBeaconBlock(current_hash));
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    Ok(hash_set)
+}
+
+impl From<DBError> for Error {
+    fn from(e: DBError) -> Error {
+        Error::DBError(e.message)
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<BeaconBlockAtSlotError> for Error {
+    fn from(e: BeaconBlockAtSlotError) -> Error {
+        match e {
+            BeaconBlockAtSlotError::UnknownBeaconBlock(h) => Error::MissingBeaconBlock(h),
+            BeaconBlockAtSlotError::InvalidBeaconBlock(h) => Error::InvalidBeaconBlock(h),
+            BeaconBlockAtSlotError::DBError(msg) => Error::DBError(msg),
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl From<TestingSlotClockError> for Error {
+    fn from(_: TestingSlotClockError) -> Error {
+        unreachable!(); // Testing clock never throws an error.
+    }
+}
diff --git a/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/mod.rs b/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/mod.rs
index 2a3d41538..be1d6ce9d 100644
--- a/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/mod.rs
+++ b/beacon_node/src/beacon_chain/mod.rs
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 mod block_processing;
 mod block_production;
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod chain_test;
+mod lmd_ghost;
 
 use db::{
     stores::{BeaconBlockStore, BeaconStateStore},
@@ -9,11 +12,18 @@ use genesis::{genesis_beacon_block, genesis_beacon_state, GenesisError};
 use slot_clock::SlotClock;
 use spec::ChainSpec;
 use ssz::ssz_encode;
-use std::collections::HashSet;
+use std::collections::{HashMap, HashSet};
 use std::sync::Arc;
 use types::Hash256;
 
-pub use crate::block_processing::Outcome as BlockProcessingOutcome;
+pub use self::block_processing::Outcome as BlockProcessingOutcome;
+
+#[derive(Debug, PartialEq)]
+pub struct CheckPoint {
+    block_root: Hash256,
+    state_root: Hash256,
+    slot: u64,
+}
 
 #[derive(Debug, PartialEq)]
 pub enum BeaconChainError {
@@ -29,6 +39,8 @@ pub struct BeaconChain<T: ClientDB + Sized, U: SlotClock> {
     pub leaf_blocks: HashSet<Hash256>,
     pub canonical_leaf_block: Hash256,
     pub spec: ChainSpec,
+    latest_attestation_targets: HashMap<usize, Hash256>,
+    finalized_checkpoint: CheckPoint,
 }
 
 impl<T, U> BeaconChain<T, U>
@@ -57,6 +69,12 @@ where
         let mut leaf_blocks = HashSet::new();
         leaf_blocks.insert(block_root);
 
+        let finalized_checkpoint = CheckPoint {
+            block_root,
+            state_root,
+            slot: genesis_block.slot,
+        };
+
         Ok(Self {
             block_store,
             state_store,
@@ -64,6 +82,8 @@ where
             leaf_blocks,
             canonical_leaf_block: block_root,
             spec,
+            latest_attestation_targets: HashMap::new(),
+            finalized_checkpoint,
         })
     }
 }
diff --git a/beacon_node/src/main.rs b/beacon_node/src/main.rs
index 08660cbc4..26b6e362e 100644
--- a/beacon_node/src/main.rs
+++ b/beacon_node/src/main.rs
@@ -1,14 +1,23 @@
 extern crate slog;
 
+mod beacon_chain;
 mod config;
 mod rpc;
 
 use std::path::PathBuf;
 
+use self::beacon_chain::BeaconChain;
 use crate::config::LighthouseConfig;
 use crate::rpc::start_server;
 use clap::{App, Arg};
+use db::{
+    stores::{BeaconBlockStore, BeaconStateStore},
+    MemoryDB,
+};
 use slog::{error, info, o, Drain};
+use slot_clock::SystemTimeSlotClock;
+use spec::ChainSpec;
+use std::sync::Arc;
 
 fn main() {
     let decorator = slog_term::TermDecorator::new().build();
@@ -58,6 +67,23 @@ fn main() {
           "data_dir" => &config.data_dir.to_str(),
           "port" => &config.p2p_listen_port);
 
+    // Specification (presently fixed to foundation).
+    let spec = ChainSpec::foundation();
+
+    // Database (presently in-memory)
+    let db = Arc::new(MemoryDB::open());
+    let block_store = Arc::new(BeaconBlockStore::new(db.clone()));
+    let state_store = Arc::new(BeaconStateStore::new(db.clone()));
+
+    // Slot clock
+    let slot_clock = SystemTimeSlotClock::new(spec.genesis_time, spec.slot_duration)
+        .expect("Unable to load SystemTimeSlotClock");
+
+    // Genesis chain
+    // TODO: persist chain to storage.
+    let _chain_result =
+        BeaconChain::genesis(state_store.clone(), block_store.clone(), slot_clock, spec);
+
     let _server = start_server(log.clone());
 
     loop {
diff --git a/eth2/types/src/readers/block_reader.rs b/eth2/types/src/readers/block_reader.rs
index 91a2852ac..d87bc5caf 100644
--- a/eth2/types/src/readers/block_reader.rs
+++ b/eth2/types/src/readers/block_reader.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+use super::state_reader::BeaconStateReader;
 use crate::{BeaconBlock, Hash256};
 use std::fmt::Debug;