[Retros] Re: Musings from a Composer's perspective

[Otto Janko]

Andrew Buchanan wrote:


> My own feeling is that there should be a standard set of conventions, 

> updated every few years. Unless otherwise mentioned in the 

> stipulation, the conventional conventions for the year of the 

> problem's publication will apply. 

>

> Initially, the conventions for 2002 can be published, and 

> then it would be an interesting and substantial historical 

> exercise to work out what the conventions should be for each 

> year in history. 


There are a few problems to solve: There is no standard set of
conventions which can be publiched, as the current discussion shows. A
standard set has to be developed and agreed before publication. I am not
aware of any standardization process for that.

All conventions which have been discussed so far on the Retro Mailing
List went into the glossary on the Retro Corner. But most of the
conventions and definitions in the Retro Glossary have never been
discussed on the Retro Mailing list. I have no idea how accepted they
are. But there is a strong indication that these rules are mostly
accepted, because the problems on the Retro Corner are solveable
applying these rules.


> That way, each problem can be put into its historical context 

> as far as the rules are concerned. Each year will have its 

> exceptions, but they can then be viewed as such in their 

> historical context. 

> 

> The Codex is the obvious starting place for such a set of 

> conventions. The current version is rather telegraphic, and 

> would need to be expanded. 


The codex falls short regarding Retro problems. For example, even such
fundamental definitions like "Subject to paragraph (2), a chess
composition is called cooked if it has a solution that differs in its
first move from the author's solution." is not sufficient for retro
problems.

The codex also falls short regarding fairy conditions soch as cylindric
chess boards. And so the Retro Glossary does.

Best Regards,

- Otto Janko <mailto:otto at janko.at> <http://janko.at>
-- Plausible Unmöglichkeiten sollten unplausiblen 
- Möglichkeiten vorgezogen werden. [Aristoteles]