Relegation Chess: In addition to promotion of pawns to pieces, pieces (Q,R,B,S) arriving back on their pawns’ home rank are “relegated” – changed back to pawns. (OR: If a piece (not King or Pawns) reaches the Pawns’ starting rank of the same side, it changes to a pawn).
No.1210Boris Shorokhov &
Dmitri Turevski Russia original – 17.04.2017
It takes an odd number of moves for the white knight to get to f8. The only way to lose a tempo and get to f8 in time is to demote the Knight back to pawn. This maneuver also ensures the unique order of the black moves (4.Kg6??). Tempo excelsior. (Authors)
Nice tempo paradox! I suppose with pawn on f2, the solution will start with 1.f3!