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The Retrograde Analysis Corner September 29,2002
This site provides a comprehensive look at chess compositions involving Retrograde Analysis. It was first created by Philippe Schnoebelen in April 1995, with the goal of providing "a repository where all retro-enthusiasts can find easy access to material pertaining to Retrograde Analysis." Later Joost de Heer took over maintenance of the materiel, and he continues to assist the current curator, Otto Janko. This site is an awesome example of what a large group of enthusiasts can accomplish. The material collected here "has been gathered ... from a large set of benevolent contributors, who spent their time and energy in the interest of the Retro community." The first section to visit, if you are new to Retrograde Analysis, is called "What Is Retrograde Analysis?" The short answer: "Retrograde Analysis is a genre of chess problems where the legality of the position is a key element. A position is legal if it can be reached through a legal chess game (no matter how weird). Retros (i.e. problems with a Retrograde Analysis content) may ask for e.g. a mate in two, but the main content (at least in modern retros) is in explaining the history of the position. Part of it anyway. This is essentially a matter of logical reasoning, with high appeal for puzzle enthusiasts." Let's look at an example from the sites pedagogical gallery:
The problem at right is a Mate-In-One, by W. F. von Holzhausen (Akademische Schachblätter, 1901) and that is all the information you are given. See if you can figure it out on your own before reading the following explanation. Give up? There is no immediate mate IF it is White to move. If it is White to move though, then what was Black's last move? Right, there is no legal move Black could have made last, to reach this position. Therefore White moved last, and it is now Black to move. Once you figure that part out, the rest is fairly simple: Black has only three moves possible - 1...Kxa7 2.b8=N mate. Or 1...Kxc7 2.bxa8=N mate. Or 1...Rxa7 2.Rc8 mate. This could be the easiest Retro problem you will ever see! That the site is well maintained is evidenced by the fact that there are 19 entries listed under "What's New" for the summer months of June, July, and August. The contents include a Retro Glossary, resources & books for Retro enthusiasts, problems from recent Retro columns, current Retro tourneys for composers, and several galleries of retro problems (including thematic collections prize winners, etc.) There is even a mailing list you can join to discuss Retros, and it appears to be fairly active, with 70 posts so far this month from 138 list members. While the home page's organization might be improved (it is essentially one long list) it hardly detracts from this fascinating genre of chess puzzles, nor from the amazing collection of material. This may be the single best online resource for Retro puzzles and resources. Drop in and look around, but be forewarned: Retro puzzles can be addictive! Here is one more puzzle suggested by Otto Janko as a good choice for the not-so-experienced retro solver:
The challenge is to decide Who mates-in-one! Remember - you
have to figure out how this position could be legally reached in order to
decide who's turn it is to move. Click
here for the solution. |
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