[Retros] MDR / promotion / fractional moves

[raosorio at fibertel.com.ar]

Hi Mario,

Many thanks for this very valuable mail. This is the type of help we need indeed: 
Antecedents. We knew the BG (Berührt – Geführt = Touched-Moved) one but not
 the article you are commenting here.

Any additional help would be very welcome.

Yes,. I got the Finzer’s problem from the PDB.

The MDR convention we are working on attempts to establish a general frame for
all the retroanalyzable types of deviation from article 3 (Laws of Chess). These deviations are classified as,

- Opportunity: leaving its own king in check; using already lost rights
- Completeness: the move does not complete all it’s parts.
- Sequence: the move does not respect the legal order of its partial actions 
   (promotion and castling)

We use “retroanalyzable” because the geometry of the move (complete or not) 
 respects the article 3. On the other hand, the MDR definition ALLOWS a deviation but not forces it. Then, an MDR problem has to build a proper scenario for a correct 
solution that makes the situation “retroanalyzable”.

We identified 16 deviation cases for the orthodox chess. These include cases resulting from a complete and illegal move (as in the BG problems) and from a fractional move (legal or illegal, as in the Finzer’s article). We established a simple hierarchy in the scale completeness- legality that makes possible all these types to coexist under the same convention with a clear criteria to determine the correct solution.

An example,

Jorge Lois & Roberto Osorio
5bBR/p1pppPpp/Pp4p1/1N6/8/P7/kPP1P3/1RK5
Is white forced to deliver mate?   MDR
b) wR from h8 to a8

A retro looking to the position shows that white is in the middle of a capturing process.
(other way,  black side would be retrostalemate). 

a) f7xRe8=… is being done, legal but not complete (1 part done, 2 undone). Then, 
according to article 4.6 the move has to be completed and it’s mate despite of the type
of piece it were promoted.

b) f7xRg8=… is being done, illegal and incomplete (2 parts done, 2 undone, illegal 
sequence). Then, a strange retraction (article 7.4) has to be made: to recover the 
position with the black rook on g8, but after that white is forced to capture this rook
anyway (article 4.3, the rook was “touched”).  To capture the rook white has to play
f7xRg8=… but it’s not committed at all to promote a bishop. So, the answer is no, since white is able to promote a knight.

This example illustrates my original point of “legal order of partial actions”. A bishop
promotion was clearly insinuated (half done) but there are no penalties. This is the most
subtle case: a just formal illegality showing retroanalyzable traces.

Best,
Roberto Osorio


Hi Roberto, 



> I repeat here the antecedent showing the 



> reversed order, 



> 



> Lothar Finzer 



> (I) Die Schwalbe 8 04/1971 



> R6B/P7/4P3/1Q1Bp3/8/3N2p1/8/k5KR 



> #0,5 



> 3 solutions 



> 



> It was accepted that time. 



Some clarification to the above mentioned problem: 
(you probably got the information from the PDB?!) 

1. The above position is not a serious problem, but only 
a scheme used by Finzer to illustrate some mechanisms 
for problems with fractional moves. It is in fact the starting 
example of an article by Lothar Finzer titled 
"Matt in weniger als einem Zug" ("Mate in less than one move"). 

2. The original stipulation is not "#0.5", but - you surely guess it" - 
"Matt in weniger als einem Zug" ("Mate in less than one move"). 

3.The author discusses 6 solutions (see below). 

4. The author was well aware of the fact, that some 
problems use the wrong order of partial actions, as 
can be seen by his comment on problems XI and XII (s. below): 
"This problem type requires some tolerance with respect to the not 
completely correct order of events of the partioned move and much sense 
of humor. 
One can execute a promotion strictly according to the theoretical order 
of events, or like an often excuted praxis in over the board games. 
The logic of these problems is therefore disputable." 



Because I think it may be interesting for your MDR efforts 
here's a short essence of the Finzer article: 

He starts his considerations with the following thought: 
Usually a move is considered as a monolithic whole. 
But one can also imagine that a position is fixed in the middle 
of the execution of a move. If this move is a mating move, we 
have a "Mate in less than 1 move". 

Finzer distinguishes between three possibilities 
for the presentation of the partially executed move: 

1. Exclusively by the stipulation. 
2. By the position itself in connection with the 
stipulation, which must contain some additional information. 
3. Exclusively by the position and its analysis. 

In category 1 there are no retroanalytical reasons for 
the justification of a fractional move. 

#### As an example of this category Finzer gives ########## 

I. Lothar Finzer, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
R6B/P7/4P3/1Q1Bp3/8/3N2p1/8/k5KR 
w: Ra8 Bh8 Pa7 Pe6 Qb5 Bd5 Nd3 Kg1 Rh1 
b: Pe5 Pg3 Ka1 
(9+3) 
(The problem, Roberto was referring to) 
Mate in less than 1 move. How many solutions? 

The author discusses 6 different solutions (and imho misses an 
obvious seventh one): 
- Rh1-f1as second part of 0-0 
- remove bPe5 as second part of f5xe6 e.p. 
- Qb5-b2 as second part of a) Qb8-b2 or b) Qxb2 (the captured piece 
has already been removed) 
- Kg1-g2 as second part of Kg1xg2 
- remove wPa7 as second part of a7-a8=R. (As first part of the move, 
the promoted rook has already been placed on a8.) 
- Nd3-c2 as second part of Nd4-c2 or Ne3-c2.p 


##### As examples for category 2 (position + stipulation) Finzer used: ### 

II. Werner Keym, Basler Nachrichten, 1968 
8/8/8/4B3/2N1R3/2Nk4/8/R1K5 
w: Kc1 Ra1 Nc3 Nc4 Re4 Be5 
b: Kd3 
(6+1) 
Minimover (White on the move mates immediately) 

III. Joseph Haas, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
6N1/1PP1P2B/PR3P2/PQ3p2/PN6/B7/p5P1/rk4KR 
w: Ng8 Pb7 Pc7 Pe7 Bh7 Pa6 Rb6 Pf6 Pa5 Qb5 Pa4 Nb4 Ba3 Pg2 Kg1 Rh1 
b: Pf5 Pa2 Ra1 Kb1 
(16+4) 
Mate by White 


###### Examples for problems of type 3 ################ 

IV: Werner Keym, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
8/1p1N1PP1/1p2QB2/1B5P/4RNP1/5k1P/3P3P/6KR 
w: Nd7 Pf7 Pg7 Qe6 Bf6 Bb5 Ph5 Re4 Nf4 Pg4 Ph3 Pd2 Ph2 Kg1 Rh1 
b: Pb7 Pb6 Kf3 
What happens? 


V. Joseph Haas, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
1B6/P2p1p2/Pp4N1/1B6/1PQ1R3/P1N2k1P/P2P3P/6KR 
w: Bb8 Pa7 Pa6 Ng6 Bb5 Pb4 Qc4 Re4 Pa3 Nc3 Ph3 Pa2 Pd2 Ph2 Kg1 Rh1 
b: Pd7 Pf7 Pb6 Kf3 
(16+4) 
What happens? 




#### The article further contains the following examples: ###### 

VI. Werner Keym, Die Welt, 199 
1B6/8/4PPPP/4p2P/5k1P/3Q3P/8/6KR 
w: Bb8 Pe6 Pf6 Pg6 Ph6 Ph5 Ph4 Qd3 Ph3 Kg1 Rh1 
b: Pe5 Kf4 
(11+2) 
Mate in 1/2 move 

VII. Lothar Finzer, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
7R/P3k3/P1P3P1/P1p1K1p1/P6B/Q5P1/P7/8 
w: Rh8 Pa7 Pa6 Pc6 Pg6 Pa5 Ke5 Pa4 Bh4 Qa3 Pg3 Pa2 
b: Ke7 Pc5 Pg5 
(12+3) 
Mate in 1/2 move 

VIII. Lothar Finzer, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
7k/2p1pPp1/p5P1/rp6/1P1b4/1pp5/6PP/KR6 
w: Pf7 Pg6 Pb4 Pg2 Ph2 Ka1 Rb1 
b: Kh8 Pc7 Pe7 Pg7 Pa6 Ra5 Pb5 Bd4 Pb3 Pc3 
(7+10) 
Mate! 

IX. A.I.Herbstman, Das Geheimnis des schwarzen Konigs, 1960 
1B2rr2/3B4/8/2b3P1/7p/7k/8/5K2 
w: Bb8 Bd7 Pg5 Kf1 
b: Re8 Rf8 Bc5 Ph4 Kh3 
(4+5) 
Mate in 1/2 move 

X. Lothar Finzer, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
8/8/N2kQq2/5K2/8/7n/8/8 
w: Na6 Qe6 Kf5 
b: Kd6 Qf6 Nh3 
(3+3) 
Mate in less than 1 move 

XI. Lothar Finzer, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
3B3B/2bnPbPn/3ppkpp/5p2/5K2/r6r/P1PPPP1P/8 
w: Bd8 Bh8 Pe7 Pg7 Kf4 Pa2 Pc2 Pd2 Pe2 Pf2 Ph2 
b: Bc7 Nd7 Bf7 Nh7 Pd6 Pe6 Kf6 Pg6 Ph6 Pf5 Ra3 Rh3 
(11+12) 
White completes his last move, thereby checkmating Black. 

XII. Lothar Finzer, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
1B6/6PP/4P3/4p3/5kPK/5P2/5PPp/7r 
w: Bb8 Pg7 Ph7 Pe6 Pg4 Kh4 Pf3 Pf2 Pg2 
b: Pe5 Kf4 Ph2 Rh1 
(9+4) 
Attention! Hands off from this position! 
The side claiming to have the move, will get mated. 

XIII. Lothar Finzer, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 1971) 
B2R4/1p2Pr2/3p1p1b/1Qpk1Kpq/3b2p1/1p3p1b/B3Pr2/3R4 
w: Ba8 Rd8 Pe7 Qb5 Kf5 Ba2 Pe2 Rd1 
b: Pb7 Rf7 Pd6 Pf6 Bh6 Pc5 Kd5 Pg5 Qh5 Bd4 Pg4 Pb3 Pf3 Bh3 Rf2 
(8+15) 
Mate in 0 moves 

XIV. M.Charosh, Fairy Chess Review, 1937 
B6B/8/1K6/P2P4/2k5/8/1PP1PPPP/2N5 
w: Ba8 Bh8 Kb6 Pa5 Pd5 Pb2 Pc2 Pe2 Pf2 Pg2 Ph2 Nc1 
b: Kc4 
(12+1) 
Mate in 0 moves 

XV. G.Apholte, Mannheimer Morgen, 1961 
3R1rk1/5N1n/4KB1P/8/8/8/8/8 
w: Rd8 Nf7 Ke6 Bf6 Ph6 
b: Rf8 Kg8 Nh7 
(5+3) 
Mate in 0 moves 

XVI. Lothar Finzer and Joseph Haas, Original (i.e. Schwalbe Heft 8, April 
1971) 
8/rppp4/1N6/8/R1PP4/PkpRP3/1P1P3P/1K6 
w: Nb6 Ra4 Pc4 Pd4 Pa3 Rd3 Pe3 Pb2 Pd2 Ph2 Kb1 
b: Ra7 Pb7 Pc7 Pd7 Kb3 Pc3 
(11+6) 
Mate in 0 moves, 2 solutions 

XVII. J.N.Babson, quoted in: Herbstman, Das Geheimnis des schwarzen Konigs 
8/3p4/BPpPpPQ1/1pB1Pp2/1P4p1/1PNk1p2/1P4P1/R1K5 
w: Ba6 Pb6 Pd6 Pf6 Qg6 Bc5 Pe5 Pb4 Pb3 Nc3 Pb2 Pg2 Ra1 Kc1 
b: Pd7 Pc6 Pe6 Pb5 Pf5 Pg4 Kd3 Pf3 
(14+8) 
Mate in 1/2 move 

XVIII. Werner Keym, Price, Ceriani-Memorial Tourney, Schwalbe Heft 8, April 
1971 
5r1n/4N1P1/QP1PBb2/1p1p1Kp1/1Pk1P1P1/p1PbpPpq/5n2/N1R5 
w: Ne7 Pg7 Qa6 Pb6 Pd6 Be6 Kf5 Pb4 Pe4 Pg4 Pc3 Pf3 Na1 Rc1 
b: Rf8 Nh8 Bf6 Pb5 Pd5 Pg5 Kc4 Pa3 Bd3 Pe3 Pg3 Qh3 Nf2 
(14+13) 
Mate in less than 1 move 

XIX. Author unknown, quoted in: Herbstman, Das Geheimnis des schwarzen 
Konigs 
2kr1Rb1/pppp1p2/N7/2Q5/1N2K3/p7/6P1/1n6 
w: Rf8 Na6 Qc5 Nb4 Ke4 Pg2 
b: Kc8 Rd8 Bg8 Pa7 Pb7 Pc7 Pd7 Pf7 Pa3 Nb1 
(6+10) 
Mate in 0 moves 


Best regards, 

mario