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The Retrograde Analysis Corner

Europe Echecs

No. 433, Apr. 1995 - SOLUTIONS

600 - L. Borodatov
Europe Echecs 433, 04/1995

(NB: This problem was incorrectly printed as a mate in 5).

All 11 missing Black units have been captured by the wPs. wBf1 was captured at home, so that bPh7 has been captured on the g-file after he captured once.

Black has no last move as e.g. -1. a7xQb6 Qb6+ -2. Kg1-f2 O-O-O+ -3.?? fails because of the bBg3. So that 1. f8=Q?? is a wrong solution.

Black has the move. Solution is 0 ... Bxh4/Bxf4/Bxh2 1. f8=Q! and mate in six.


601c - T. Le Gleuher
Europe Echecs 433, 04/1995
(Corrected version given in Europe Echecs 441, 01/1996)

1. h4 a5 2. h5 Ra6 3. h6 Rb6 4. hxg7 Rb3 5. Rh6 b5 6. Ra6 h5 7. axb3 h4 8. Ra4 h3 9. Rh4 h2 10. c4 h1=R 11. Qc2 Rh3 12. Qg6 Rc3 13. Rh1 Rhh3 14. Qb6 Rhf3 15. exf3 a4 16. Bd3 a3 17. Be4 a2 18. d3 a1=R 19. Be3 Ra4 20. Bd4 Rb4 21. Ra1 Ra4

White Rooks are permuted. Black Rooks are promotees. A very nice maneuver.


602 - P. Leroy
Europe Echecs 433, 04/1995
(This problem was later found to be cooked)

Author's intention: 1. h4 Nf6 2. h5 Ne4 3. h6 Nc5 4. hxg7 h5 5. a4 h4 6. a5 h3 7. a6 h2 8. axb7 hxg1=R 9. Ra6 Rh2 10. Rg6 fxg6 11. e4 Kf7 12. Qh5 gxh5 13. g8=B Kg6 14. Bc4 d5 15. e5 Qd6 16. e6 Bd7 17. exd7 e5 18. d4 Be7 19. Bh6 Bh4 20. Bf8 Kg5 21. d8=R Qh6 22. Rd6 e4 23. Ra6 e3 24. Ra1 a5 25. Nc3 Ra6 26. Na2 Rc6 27. c3 Nba6 28. b8=Q e2 29. Qb3 exf1=N 30. Qd1 Nd2 31. Bf1

Triple Pronkine's theme. Unfortunately cooked, e.g:

1. Nc3 g5 2. Nd5 g4 3. Nxe7 g3 4. Nxc8 gxh2 5. Ne7 hxg1=R 6. Nd5 a5 7. Nc3 Ra6 8. Na4 Rh6 9. e4 Rh2 10. e5 Be7 11. e6 Bh4 12. exf7 Ke7 13. d4 h5 14. f8=N Na6 15. Ne6 Rh6 16. Ng5 Rc6 17. Ne4 b5 18. Nec3 b4 19. Nb1 b3 20. Bh6 Kf6 21. Bf8 Kg5 22. Nd2 bxa2 23. Nb1 axb1=N 24. Nc3 d5 25. Na2 Nf6 26. Ke2 Nd7 27. Ke1 Ndc5 28. c3 Qf6 29. Bd6 Qh6 30. Bf8 Nd2


603 - N. Plaksine and A. Zolotarev
Europe Echecs 433, 04/1995

6 caps by Black: Pc7xd6, Pd7xe6, Ph7xg6xf5xe4, -1. Qg1xg2+. For balance, wPa, b & c must be promoted on b8 and c8. 4 caps by White: bBf8, Pe6xf7, Pa6xb7 (and promotion on b8), Pb6xc7 (and promotion on c8).

The shortest trip of the wRf1 can be Rh1-f1 (or O-O) if we retract the following (not fully determined) sequence: -1. Qg1xNg2+ Ne3-g2 -2. Bg2-f3+ Nc4-e3 -3. f5xQe4 Qb7-e4 -4. g6xBf5 Qb8-b7 -5. h7xBg6 b7-b8=Q -6. a7-a6 a6xRb7 and Black retro-stalemate is avoided.

Now the position unlocks by retracting f7-f6. Because the wBc1 can only be uncaptured on d6, the wPd2 must have been promoted too. The following maneuver is used: (1) unpromote wBf5 and wBg6 on c8, (2) retract bPc7xBd6, (3) unpromote wNc4 on d8, (4) retract bPd7xQe6, (5) retract wPe6xRf7, (6) retract bPf7-f6 and everything unlocks.

This displays a quadruple Ceriani-Frolkin theme where promotion and capture squares are precisely determined.


604 - T. Le Gleuher
Europe Echecs 433, 04/1995

-1. Kg5-g4 c5-c4+ -2. Kh4-g5 Bh2-g3+ -3. Kg3-h4 Bg1-h2+ -4. Rf1-f2 Bd2-e1+ -5. Kf2-g3 Bh2-g1+ -6. Kg1-f2 Bg3-h2+ -7. Rf2-f1 Be1-d2+ -8. Kh2-g1 Bh4-g3+ -9. Kg3-h2 Bg5-h4+ -10. Kh4-g3 Bh6-g5+ -11. Kg5-h4 Bg7-h6+ -12. Kg6-g5 Bg8-f7+ -13. Kh7-g6 Bf7-g8+ -14. Kh8-h7 Bh6-g7+ -15. Kg7-h8 Bg5-h6+ -16. Kh6-g7 Bh4-g5+ -17. Kg5-h6 Bg3-h4+ -18. Kh4-g5 Bh2-g3+ -19. Kg3-h4 Bg1-h2+ -20. Rf1-f2 Bd2-e1+ -21. Kf2-g3 Bh2-g1+ -22. Kg1-f2 Bg3-h2+ -23. Rf2-f1 Be1-d2+ -24. Kh2-g1 Bh4-g3+ -25. Kg3-h2 Bg5-h4+ -26. Kh4-g3 Bh6-g5+ -27. Kg5-h4 Bg7-h6+ -28. Kg6-g5 Bg8-f7+ -29. Kh7-g6 Bf7-g8+ -30. Kh8-h7 Bh6-g7+ -31. Kg7-h8 Bg5-h6+ -32. Kh6-g7 Bh4-g5+

Now a third cycle would lead to three-fold repetition and draw. So that we must first move the bBf7:

-33. Kg6-h6 Bg8-f7+ -34. Kg5-h6 Bg3-h4+ -35. Kh4-g5 Bh2-g3+ -36. Kg3-h4 Bg1-h2+ -37. Rf1-f2 Bd2-e1+ -38. Kf2-g3 Bh2-g1+ -39. Kg1-f2 Bg3-h2+ -40. Rf2-f1 Be1-d2+ -41. Kh2-g1 Bh4-g3+ -42. Kg3-h2 Bg5-h4+ -43. Kh4-g3 Bh6-g5+ -44. Kg5-h4 Bg7-h6+ -45. Kh6-g5 Bh8-g7+ -46. Kh7-h6 Bf7-g8+ -47. Kg6-h7 Bg8-f7+ -48. Kf7-g6 Bh7-g8+ -49. Ke8-f7 Bc8-d7+ -50. Kd7-e8 Bb7-c8+ -51. Nd5-c3

and now, because of the fifty-moves rule, Black must retract a pawn move !! Only possibility is -51 ... a7-a6. White goes on with -52. Nb6-d5 and plays forward 1. c7 mate.