Graphical condensation, overlapping Pfaffians and superpositions of matchings (Q976742)

Summary: The purpose of this paper is to exhibit clearly how the ``graphical condensation'' identities of Kuo, Yan, Yeh and Zhang follow from classical Pfaffian identities by the Kasteleyn-Percus method for the enumeration of matchings. Knuth termed the relevant identities ``overlapping Pfaffian'' identities and the key concept of proof ``superpositions of matchings''. In our uniform presentation of the material, we also give an apparently unpublished general ``overlapping Pfaffian'' identity of Krattenthaler.