Sounds like they're trying to start a chess match with their rival researchers, inside of a sequence of papers. #1 pe4 would indicate a classic king's pawn opening (pawn to e4) [1]
Interesting. This is the first time I'm seeing this inside a paper. I would love to see the entire sequence if it has been done before, in other papers.
Clever.
[1](https://chesspathways.com/chess-openings/kings-pawn-opening/)