Definitions: (click to show/hide)
The -2 & #1 stipulation means: retract 2 moves and then the White (forward) mating move.
Defensive Retractor: In Defensive Retractors, White and Black retract (take back) a given number of moves (-n moves), in order to reach a position in which a forward stipulation (e.g. #1, s#1) is met. Given a choice, Black will retract those moves that avoid or delay White’s goal. Unless otherwise stated, Black may defend by mating White through a forward move, if such an opportunity exists after one of Black’s retractions.
The different kinds of Defensive Retractors only differ in the way uncaptures are handled, of course only legal uncaptures are allowed:
- In Proca Retractors the retracting side decides, if and what man was uncaptured.
- In Hoeg Retractors the opposite side decides, if and what man was uncaptured.
- In Klan Retractors always White decides, if and what man was uncaptured.
- In Pacific Retractors there are no uncaptures at all.
Anticirce Assassin: As Anti-Circe, but the rebirth occurs even if the rebirth square is occupied. The occupying piece is removed from the board.
Anti-Circe: After a capture the capturing piece (Ks included) must immediately be removed to its game array square (necessarily vacant, else the capture is illegal). R, B & S go to the square of the same colour as the capture; Ps stay on the file of capture; fairy pieces go to the promotion square of the file of capture.
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No.1002 Cornel Pacurar
Canada
original – 09.02.2016
Dedicated to the “Quartzomaniacs” group!
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Solution: (click to show/hide)
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white Ke1 Bc8
black Ka1 Sb5 Qd4
-2 & #1 Proca Retractor (2+3)
Anti-Circe Assassin
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{no animation for Proca Retractors (JV)}
Try:
-1.Kc1×Bb2(wKe1,-wSe1) Bc3-b2+ (-2.Be6-c8 & 1.Sc2#)?
Forward defense 1.Qd4-d1/d2#! (1. . . Kc1×Q(wKe1,-wSe1)?)
Solution:
-1.Kb3×Ba2(wKe1,-wBe1) Bb1-a2+ -2.c7-c8=B & 1.Be1-c3#
1. . . Sb5×Bc3(bSb8) is self-check (2.c7×Sb8=R(wRa1,-bKa1))!
1. . . Qd4×Bc3(bQd8) is self-check (2.c7×Qd8=R(wRa1,-bKa1))!
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No.1002 
This problem is the first Proca Retractor Anti-Circe Assassin ever published and it is a promising start.
The solution may be short, but it is both surprising and specific. It even shows the Phoenix theme (capture of white Bishop and promotion into Bishop) in retro play.
Both black pieces are useful. Cooks would appear, should you eliminate the bQ or bS.
For instance without bQ: -1.Kd1xPe2(Ke1, -wQe1) e3-e2 -2.Be6-c8 & 1.Kc2#
Or without bS: -1.Kc1xPd2(Ke1,-wQe1) d3-d2 -2.Qe7-b4 & 1.Qb4-a3#
Thank you for the dedication, Cornel! 🙂
AntiCirce Assassin opens some new opportunities in Proca Retractor field. There are significant differences compared with classic AntiCirce (Calvet and/or Cheylan) to make it worth considering.
In the above pioneer problem we can see some specific AntiCirce Assassin motivations: white passive suicide (wBe1) and virtual bK explosion threat (doubled in the forward play).
Up to this point, the application of Assassin rebirths to Retro genres (Proca, Help and Series Retractors) has been an almost exclusively Romanian affair – either Romanian (Paul Raican, Vlaicu Crisan, Eric Huber) or Romanian-born (Adrian Storisteanu, Cornel Pacurar) composers. I hope this will change soon!