[Retros] Fwd: Proof game promotion task

Noam Elkies elkies at math.harvard.edu
Sun May 9 22:53:18 EDT 2010


Tim Chow asked:


> [...] What is the most number of knights (or queens, or whatever)

> to appear in the set position of a proof game [with a unique solution]?


Joose Norri responds:


> Yes, obviously one could do -- but why!? Sorry, missed the irony.


I don't see why this need be ironic or ugly; it looks to me like a
legitimate task. And it certainly *doesn't* look obvious that one can
promote all White pawns to Bishops in a sound proof game! For starters
such a game must have length at least 39.5, and it's already nontrivial
to attain such lengths at all, let alone with 40 pawn moves on one side.

NDE



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