Retrograde analysis
technique employed to determine which moves were played leading up to a given position
In chess problems, retrograde analysis is a technique employed to determine which moves were played leading up to a given position. While this technique is rarely needed for solving ordinary chess problems, there is a whole subgenre of chess problems in which it plays an important part; such problems are known as retros.
Retros may ask, for example, for a mate in two, but the main puzzle is in explaining the history of the position. This may be important to determine, for example, if castling is disallowed or an en passant capture is possible. Other problems may ask specific questions relating to the history of the position, such as, "Is the bishop on c1 promoted?". This is essentially a matter of logical reasoning, with high appeal for puzzle enthusiasts.
Sometimes it is necessary to determine if a particular position is legal, with "legal" meaning that it could be reached by a series of legal moves, no matter how illogical. Another important branch of retrograde analysis problems is proof game problems.
Example
An example of a retrograde analysis problem is shown on the left. The solver must deduce White's last move.
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