Every countable lattice is a retract of a direct product of chains (Q797605)

The authors prove that every countably lattice is retract (i.e., idempotent endomorphic image) of a direct product of the following ordered sets: the two- and three-element sets, the positive and negative integers and their direct sum. This result can be regarded as a negative one, for it shows how complicated a retract can be. The proof goes via Boolean algebras. Two basic concepts are used: gaps and selection property which might be useful in other research.