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 Is this position legal?
But apart from finding the mate in four, answer me this. Is the position one that could be reached in a game of chess legally from the starting position, with both players playing legal moves, or not?
gameknot.com
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penelope80
24-Aug-20, 12:09
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It seems legal to me.Each white pawn on the 4th rank could come from the square on its right on the 3rd rank.The pawn in b3 could come from a2
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@penelope80
The pawn on b3 could not have come from a2, as then white would have had to make 8 captures with pawns, and both black bishops must have been captured on their original squares. Apart from the two black bishops, black has lost two knights, two rooks, a queen and the h pawn, but if a white pawn took the black h pawn, that would take the pawn to the right, and the pawns have all moved to the left, not the right.....
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@charleshiggie
Moves and captures:
Pa2-a4
Pb2-b3
Ph7-h5 !!
Rh8->b4, Pc3xb4
Ng8->c4, Pd3xc4
Ke8->d6
Qd8->d4, Pe3xd4
Nb8->e4, Pf3xe4
Ra8->f4, Pg3xf4
Bf1->g4, Ph5xg4 !!
Ph3xg4
Ke1->a3
The position is legal.
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@canopus1
Yes this rather strange pawn formation for white can be reached with 6 captures. But which 6 pieces have been captured. white pawns cannot have captured either of the black bishops which must have been captured on the their starting squares, c8 and f8. Apart from the two black bishops, black has lost two knights, two rooks, a queen and the h pawn, but as you point out, the captures took place on b4, c4, d4, e4, f4 and g4 - and not on the h file!
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Oh sorry
I see what you have done now - you have the h pawn capturing on g4 and then being captured. Yes this is a solution. Another solution would have been for the h pawn to promote and then be captured.
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Nice puzzle.
Actually I had solved it after one wrong try - then within seconds had forgotten the solution! I had to nut it out a second time. It took longer the second time...
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