Chess Puzzle #55028

CHESS PUZZLE #55028

Added by:	radus
Added on:	02-Feb-12
Description:	To understand the future you must know the past. Once you've solved it answer the question in the first comment.
Difficulty:	online chess puzzle #55028
Attempts:	58
Solved:	56 (96%)


White to move, mate in 2

Comments: (16) » Last

From

Comment

radus
02-Feb-12, 17:23

» Report abuse

Have you figured out why castling isn't available for black?

kingdawar
02-Feb-12, 17:24

» Report abuse

OK, white pawn must have travelled through f7. However, GameKnot's application is still not the best stage to show retrograde problems... to put it mildly

radus
02-Feb-12, 17:25

» Report abuse

Yeah, I know. I'm still having fun composing them though.

radus
02-Feb-12, 17:26

» Report abuse

And the question was addressed to the "general public". I'm sure you of all people have already seen all these retrograde problems and more.

kingdawar
02-Feb-12, 17:28

» Report abuse

I'm a problem newbie myself too. In the world of the blind, a green one-eyed monster might just be the king

blahamen
02-Feb-12, 18:06

» Report abuse

So I believe kingdawar has already covered this, but just to be clear, how does the white bishop end up behind black's pawns?

fkohn
02-Feb-12, 19:07

» Report abuse

Ah, that, dear blahamen is the key.

blahamen
02-Feb-12, 23:58

» Report abuse

fkohn, I see no lock for your "key".

radus
03-Feb-12, 00:00

» Report abuse

Hint: kingdawar said "white pawn must have travelled through f7". What pawn?

radus
03-Feb-12, 01:15

» Report abuse

Bonus question from roykazz: how did the *black* bishop get to d6?! That was totally unintended on my part, but roykazz found the way to make it work.

fkohn
03-Feb-12, 05:56

» Report abuse

Ah so there's _two_ underpromotions involved here.

radus
03-Feb-12, 05:59

» Report abuse

Yeap. Once you start underpromoting you just can't stop.

blahamen
03-Feb-12, 06:51

» Report abuse

Not to hurt anyone's feelings, but this is pretty stupid.

radus
03-Feb-12, 08:05

» Report abuse

Well, I'm not planning on writing a PhD thesis about it...

fkohn
03-Feb-12, 08:12

» Report abuse

It may not be the most brilliant retrograde problem ever published, but I don't think it's stupid

radus
03-Feb-12, 08:24

» Report abuse

By the way, I did need black's bishop so that there wouldn't be a double solution (Bxg7 and Bxe7). I think a knight, rook or queen protecting the e7 (or g7) pawn would interfere with the mate no matter their initial placement.

Although now that I think of it with the bishop on d6 I don't need the pawn on a7: the rook can't give check anyway, so I don't care if it moves anywhere on the a file.

Please log in

chess online

CHESS PUZZLE #55028