Originals, 1995, Page 1 - Solutions
1 - Mario Velucchi Retro Mailing List, 16.3.1995
White retracts Kc2-c3, plays Kc2-c3 and black has to play a5*b4 mate. Or did I overlook something, or did I copy the position wrong? [Joost de Heer]
4 - Eric Angelini Retro Mailing List, 7.7.1995 Europe Echecs, No. 445, 05/1996
The last is of course bxc8=B+. White has made 7 captures. The promoted pawn came from g2, and captured on f3 e4 d5 c6 b7 c8. There is only one other white capture, that of the h8R, the only missing black man which couldn't have got in the way of the promoting pawn. So that pawn captured Black's a8R, b8N, c8B, Q, g8N, b7P. (Black's b-pawn couldn't have promoted because Black had only one man, the f1B, to capture, but the b-pawn would have had to capture 5 times and get to g2.)
White's g-pawn might have played gxNf3 and fxNe4, but couldn't get past e4 without capturing something which couldn't have got captured before Black's b-pawn moved. (So White played Bc6, Black played bxBc6, and that freed the a8R, c8B, Q and other knight to get to e4 d5 b7 c8.) Therefore, before any white pawn moved, the only black men which could have got to f3 are the knights, so White *must* have played gxNf3.
When the black knight arrived at f3, no white pawn or bishop had moved, so the white king hadn't moved and no white man was missing.
So one check of the game was ... Nf3+. This was followed by White's first capture, and therefore Black couldn't have checked earlier, for then white would still be unable to move his king, and would have had to capture the checking piece (which would have to be a knight). White couldn't have checked earlier either, because no black pawn or bishop had yet moved, so black would have been unable to move his king and would have had to get out of check by capturing the checking man (which would have to be a knight), but I've already accounted for all captures, so no more are allowed. So ... Nf3+ was the first check of the game.
5 - Eric Angelini Retro Mailing List, 16.7.1995
1. Sf3 a5 2. Sg5 Ta6 3. Sxh7 Txh7 4. h3 Txh3 5. Sa3 Txa3 6. Th5 Th6 7. Txa5 Th8 8. Ta8 Txa8
6 - Eric Angelini Retro Mailing List, 18.7.1995
1. f4 Sc6 2. f5 e5 3. fxe6ep Df6 4. b4 Dxa1 5. d4 Se5 6. dxe5 Lc5 7. bxc5 d5 8. exd6ep b5 9. cxb6ep La6 10. g4 Dxb1 11. g5 Dxc1 12. h4 h5 13. gxh6ep Dg5 14. a4 Dxg1 15. h5 Dxh1 16. e4 Se7 17. e5 f5 18. exf6ep Dd5 19. Dxd5 g5 20. hxg6ep Lxf1 21. c4 Sxd5 22. cxd5 c5 23. dxc6ep Lb5 24. axb5 a5 25. bxa6ep
7 - Eric Angelini Retro Mailing List, 18.7.1995
Yes. Inefficient proof game:
1. Nf3 Nf6 2. Nh4 Ne4 3. Nf5 Ng3 4. c3 Nxf1 5. Ng3 Ne3 6. a4 Nd5 7. O-O g6 8. Nh1 Bh6 9. g3 O-O 10. a5 Nc6 11. a6 Nb6 12. Na3 Rb8 13. Nc2 Na8 14. Nb4 b6 15. Na2 Bb7 16. Qa4 Na5 17. Qh4 Bc6 18. Qh3 Ba4 19. Kg2 Nb7 20. Kf3 Qc8 21. axb7 Kg7 22. bxc8=B Kf6 23. Bb7 Rh8 24. Qg2 Bf8 25. Be4 h5 26. Bd3 h4 27. Kg4 h3 28. Kf4 hxg2 29. Ke3 g1=N 30. Be4 Ke6 31. Kd3 Nh3 32. Ke3 Kd6 33. Bd3 Kc6 34. Kf3 Kb7 35. Bf5 Ng5+ 36. Kf4 Nh7 37. Bh3 Ka6 38. Kf3 Bc6+ 39. Ke3 Bb7 40. Rg1 Bc8 41. Bf1 Kb7 42. Kf3 Nf6 43. Kg2 Nh7
Retro-analysis:
Suppose both sides have castled.
First, if white has castled, he must have castled kingside (queenside is blocked by WB on c1). He must have castled after WBg1 left, and before the knight reached h1 (the rook was blocking it). The knight must have reached h1 before g2->g3. Therefore, the WB left f1 before g2 advanced. That can only occur if it was captured by a knight, and the current piece is promoted.
The WP that promoted could only have come from a2 (all others are still present), and needed to make at least two captures to promote on a white square. That accounts for all captures by white. It promoted after BP->b6, which was after BN->a8, so it promoted on c8.
If black castled queenside, then by the same reasoning as in paragraph 1, white must have captured the original BB with a knight. Since that didn't occur, black castled kingside.
The white pawn couldn't have captured the missing BP directly (too far away), so that BP promoted. The BP had only one capture available, so it promoted on g1 to a knight or queen (only pieces that could escape).
The captured black pieces were both Q or N. (There are two BR's & BB's on the board, and the BP couldn't have promoted to them.)
With all that, it's fairly straightforward to work out a proof game.
[Solution provided by Mark Jeffrey Tilford <tilford(at)ugcs.caltech.edu>]
9 - Eric Angelini Retro Mailing List, 27.7.1995
If either side castled, it must have been kingside (or it was blocked by the QB).
If white castled, then WWB left before white castled before N->H1 before P->g3. The only way for WWB to leave with the king&pawn structure is in place is to be captured by a knight. So the bishop present is promoted. The only white square it could promote on and escape is g8. For it to be able to escape, g6 must come from g7.
BBB is original. (White's pawn structure would keep it from leaving.) If black castled, Pg7 must have left its HS before BBB left its HS before castling before Nh8 arrived before Pg6 arrived. For Pg7 to leave well before Pg6 arrived means that the pawn on g6 must have come from h7.
If white castled, then the pawn at g6 is from g7. If black castled, then that pawn is from h7. Therefore, it is impossible that both have castled.