This position was reached in a normal chess game:

                   BLACK
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     | B |///| K |/R/| N |///|   |///|  
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |/P/| P |///|   |///|   |///|   |  
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |   |///| Q |/K/|   |/R/|   |///|   
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |///|   |///|   |///|   |///|   |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |   |///|   |///|   |///|   |///|
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |///|   |///|   |///|   |///|   |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |   |///|   |///|   |///|   |///|
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
     |///|   |///|   |///|   |///|   |
     +---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+
                   WHITE

a) Identify the color of each piece.
b) What was the last move?

(In reply to re(3): Full Solution - not yet by pcbouhid)

I see. To solve for the black piece captured on the last move at d8 by the white pawn at c7, we need to look at what black's last move was.  The key being that Black could not have moved her king on the last move to c8, so the last black move must have been to move a piece to d8. If this were a bishop, queen, or rook, there would be a conflict of logic. Therefore, the only possible previous move was Ne6-d8.

The last move was pc7xNd8.

pcbouhid, sorry for not appreciating earlier how comprehensive this problem was. Now it makes sense why the rook on f6 (as well as all the other pieces) is necessary. Very elegant, thankyou.

Edited on January 12, 2006, 6:44 pm

Posted by Eric on 2006-01-12 18:38:56