[Retros] Retro_snippets_001 - Schnoebelen Promotion

[Mario Richter]

Dear Retrofans,

more and more chess problem sources have been digitized
and are now available to a broader public.

Sometimes one can fill gaps in the knowledge about certain
chess problem aspects (Valery Liskovets' article about
forced e.p. in 'Die Schwalbe', October 2008 is a good example),
sometimes even some surprising new facts can be discovered.


So here is  one, which is about 'Schnoebelen promotions'.


Our Retro Wiki (http://retrowiki.janko.at/index.php/Schnoebelen )
gives the following definition:

"A promotee is captured on its promotion square
without having moved after the promotion."

The Wiki doesn't explain, why it is named 'Schnoebelen'.

The answer is simple:
It is named after Philippe Schnoebelen, who has introduced this
idea in the area of Proof Games.

In his own words:
(s. http://www.lsv.ens-cachan.fr/~phs/perso.php )

"I invented what is now called 'The Schnoebelen Promotion Theme'
in chess problems.
Rather than describe the theme and spoil all the fun, I'd rather
let you solve the following puzzle:

Ph. Schnoebelen
Probleemblad 09/1996

  a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   |*n |*n | B |   |*r |   | . | 8

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |   |*p |*p | . |*p | . |   | 7

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | . |   |*k |   | . |   | . | 6

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|*p |   | . |   | . |   | . |*p | 5

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | . |*q | . |   | . |   | Q | 4

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |   | . |   | P |   |*p |*r | 3

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | P | P | . |   | P | P | P | 2

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| R | N | . |   | K | B | N | R | 1  (14+12)

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
  a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h

1nnB1r2/2pp1p2/3k4/p6p/2q4Q/4P1pr/1PP2PPP/RN2KBNR

Invent a legal chess game that reaches the above position
just after Black's 15th move. "

So far Philippe about his idea.


[Interestingly, in a comment to the solution
 (presented at problem 3075 at
http://www.janko.at/Retros/Probleemblad/Solutions.htm)
the theme is explained as "Hyper-Frolkin theme where Frolkin
promotees do not move at all between promotion and capture."]


But as already Johann Wolfgang von Goethe knew:
(Faust. Part II)
MEPHISTOPHELES.
Original, fahr hin in deiner Pracht! -
Wie würde dich die Einsicht kränken:
Wer kann was Dummes, wer was Kluges denken,
Das nicht die Vorwelt schon gedacht! -

Go forth in splendour, you primal man! -
How could insight harm you, ever:
Who can think of stupid things or clever,
That past ages didn't, long ago, understand.

(and of course Goethe too was anticipated, e.g. by
Publius Terentius Afer, ~185-159 B.C.: "Nullumst iam
dictum quod non sit dictum prius." [Nothing is ever
said that has not been said before.]).




When studying the August 1948 issue of the
'Fairy Chess Review' (Vol.7 No.1, available at
http://problem64.beda.cz/silo/fcr_1_1948.pdf),
I came across the following short article in the section
"5-Minute Papers" (page 94):

## Start of quotation #######################################

No.117
The captured promoted piece never moved
By Dr. Ing. L.Ceriani, Milan

Here is a quite new, and I believe very difficult
idea in retrograde analysis. It is required to show
in the retro developement of a position that a Pawn
has promoted to a definite piece, has stood unmoved
as the piece for at least one turn, and has dis-
appeared captured on the promotion square. The
difficulty lies in the second condition mainly, for
if the capture were immediate nothing could deter-
mine the nature of the piece. After prolonged
research, I obtained Nos. 7743-4.

No. 7743

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | . |*n | R | R | N |   |*n | 8

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |*k | N |*p | K | P | P | P | 7

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|*r | P |*b | P |*p |*p |*p |*p | 6

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|*p |*p | . |*p | . |   | . | P | 5

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | . |   | . |   | . |   | . | 4

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |   | . |   | . |   | . |   | 3

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| P | . |   | . |   | . |   | . | 2

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |   | . |   | . |   | . |   | 1  (12+13)

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
  a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h

2nRRN1n/1kNpKPPP/rPbPpppp/pp1p3P/8/8/P7/8



No. 7744

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | K |   |*q |   |*b |   | . | 8

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|*n |*p | Q |*p |*k | P | P |   | 7

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|*r | P | B | R |*p |*r |*p | . | 6

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|*p |*p | . |*p | . |*p | . |   | 5

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | . |   | . |   | . |   | . | 4

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |   | . |   | . |   | . |   | 3

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| P | . |   | P |   | P |   | . | 2

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |   | . |   | . |   | . |   | 1  (10+14)

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
    a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h

1K1q1b2/npQpkPP1/rPBRprp1/pp1p1p2/8/8/P2P1P2/8

What were the last moves in each of these?

[... solution omitted in case you want do it for
yourself. If you have difficulties in finding the
solutions, see Henrik Juel's analysis in the PDB:
www.softdecc.de/pdb/search.pdb?expression=PROBID='P0005073',
www.softdecc.de/pdb/search.pdb?expression=PROBID='P0005071',
]

The theme is not very fruitful: I think it is
impossible to use a Q as theme piece, but I hope the
R may be used. Another possibility is later defer-
ment of the capture.


## End of quotation #######################################


As the developement shows, Ceriani was at least partially
wrong with his assumptions.

The theme is very fruitful, Rooks can be the thematical piece too
(e.g. www.softdecc.de/pdb/search.pdb?expression=PROBID='P1067871'),
and using fairy conditions, both unique immediate captures and
even Schnoebelen Queens have been presented, for the latter s. e.g.

Kostas Prentos & Andrey Frolkin
Eteroscacco 1/2007
1. Honourable Mention
SPG 16.5, Multicapture Chess
+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|*r |*n |*b |*q |*k |*b |*n |*r | 8

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|*p |*p |*p |*p |*p |   | . |   | 7

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | . |   | . |   | . |   | . | 6

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| P |   | . |   | . |   | . | P | 5

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | . |   | P |   | R |   | R | 4

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |   | . |   | N |   | . | N | 3

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

|   | P |   | . |   | K |   | . | 2

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

| . |   | . |   | . |   | B | B | 1  (11+13)

+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
  a   b   c   d   e   f   g   h

rnbqkbnr/ppppp3/8/P6P/3P1R1R/4N2N/1P3K2/6BB

(s. http://www.eteroscacco.it/esp/verdetti_0607.html#vret )



Some open questions:

- Which was the very first PG showing a Schnoebelen promotion?

- And which was the very first PG showing a Schnoebelen Queen?

- Using fairy conditions, has a Schnoebelen-AUW already been
  realized?

- Longest move difference between promotion and capture?

- What was the outcome of the Thematical Tourney, announced by
  L.Ceriani in the above quoted FCR article?
  (F.C.R. 13th TOURNEY, closing date: 31. December 1948)

- should the Theme more correctly be called
  "Ceriani-Hyper-Frolkin-Schnoebelen-Promotion"?  :-)



Best regards,

  mario