What the wives of the Iranian Shah's harem looked like. The name of the pieces in chess What a check looks like

I am glad to welcome you, dear friend!

In any sport, and not only in sports, there are moments of apotheosis. That is to say, the final scene of the performance. In boxing, for example, it's a knockout. In chess, this is checkmate. Let's take a closer look at what a checkmate is in chess and why it is the crown of a chess action.

Checkmate with another piece

You already know that any piece other than the queen can checkmate. However, this is less common than checkmate with a queen.

The most “mating” piece after the queen is the rook. The Rook, as a rule, - puts a linear checkmate. We already know what it is. An example in the previous paragraph of our article.

Examples of mating with a minor piece and a pawn:

On the stage, checkmate with a knight.

Now with an elephant:

And let's not forget the pawn, of course.

When writing a game, a check is denoted by an X, in international notation #

How to checkmate?

Let me tell you a little secret. Checkmate is a consequence of your good play, not an end in itself.

If you play hard, outplay your opponent, use the allotted time rationally, you will achieve a winning position. Checkmate will not keep you waiting, you will put it.

If you play poorly, you can checkmate more by accident. As a result of a gross mistake or "blunder" of the partner. And this will happen less and less as the strength of your opponents grows.

Therefore, the correct goal of the game is to beat the opponent.

I suppose you've noticed that when strong chess players play, they almost never play until checkmate.

When the position is losing, the strong chess player gives up. Thus, showing respect to the opponent, as if not doubting that he will bring his advantage to checkmate. Playing to checkmate among experienced chess players is a sign of bad taste ... Please keep this in mind.

So, learn to play well, and the mats won't work.

Thank you for your interest in this article.

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Good luck at the chessboard!

21

Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar is the happy owner of the harem. He revived the tradition of his grandfather and father and started his own "Pleasure Garden" harem. The harem seems to the European a sort of abode of young and beautiful women from the Arabian fairy tales "1000 and One Nights". Meanwhile, curious photos of the harem of Nasser al-Din Shah Qajar, who ruled in Iran at the end of the 19th century, destroy the prevailing stereotypes. In the review of the portal kulturologia.ru you can see the beauties of the harem of the Iranian ruler with your own eyes.

Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar - 4th Shah of Iran - gained power in 1848 and ruled for 47 years. His reign was the longest in Iran's 3000-year history.

Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar is the happy owner of the harem.

Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar in Zercal hall. Photo of 1895

Historians tell about Nasser ad-Din Shah Kajar that for his time he was well educated and had a reputation for sybarite, so much so that later he caused discontent among his entourage.

Ad-Din Shah Qajar and photographer Sevryugin before the photo shoot.

One of Shah Qajar's many passions was photography. He liked taking pictures as a child, and when he came to power, he decided to create the first official photo studio in his palace. In the 1870s, Russian photographer Anton Sevryugin opened his atelier in Tehran, who became the court photographer of the Iranian ruler. Sevryughin created a photo chronicle of Iran and was awarded an honorary title for his services.

The main entrance to the Gulistan Palace.

A Russian photographer could take pictures of the Shah himself, his male relatives, courtiers and servants. And behind him, Qajar, an ardent admirer of the photo, left the right to shoot his harem, in which, according to historians, he had about 100 concubines.

Fullness is the main criterion for beauty.

It is known that the photographs of Nasser ed-Din Shah himself printed in the palace laboratory and kept in satin albums in his Gulistan palace, where the museum is currently located.

The incomparable Anis al-Doleh is the beloved wife of the Shah (right).

The extraordinary nature of the photographs of his concubines lies in the fact that, according to Shiite laws, at that time it was impermissible to photograph the faces of people, and even more so the faces of women. And only the most powerful man in the country could afford to break the law.

Anis al-Doleh or Soul Friend of the State.

Looking at the photos of the ladies from the harem, you understand that they look quite modern for their time. Women are confident in front of the camera, calm, not shy and not flirtatious.

The incomparable Anis al-Doleh (sitting).

Photos of women challenge the generally accepted idea of ​​life in a harem - the shah's wives look quite modern for that time and self-confident, they calmly look into the camera lens, not flirting or shy.

Nasser ad-Din Shah Qajar with some women from the harem.

It can even be assumed that the wives in the harem had friendly relations - some photographs show groups at a picnic.

Picnic harem.

The inhabitants of the harem did not suffer from thinness.

From the photographs, one can judge the tastes of the Iranian monarch - all women are in bodies, with fused thick eyebrows and well-visible antennae. It is clearly seen that the women did not suffer from hunger and were not burdened with physical work. Experts say that there are even nude photos in Gulistan's collection, but they are safely hidden.

Young concubine with a hookah.

In many photos, the harem's concubines are depicted in short fluffy skirts like ballet tutus (shalitech). And this is no coincidence.

Ladies from the harem in ballet tutus.

It is known that in 1873 Nasser ed-Din Shah, at the invitation of Alexander II, visited St. Petersburg and attended the ballet. According to legend, he was so fascinated by Russian dancers that he introduced naughty ones for his women. True, the concubines could refuse Muslim headscarves only in front of the camera. However, it is possible that this is only a legend.

Ladies from the harem in ballet tutus.

Now compare what a Persian woman-city dweller looked like under a veil at the end of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century:

Or like this - in a half-open chador (photo by the same Sevryugin mentioned above):

The selection of photos was commented by a senior researcher at the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Boris Vasilievich Dolgov: "There are really women in the photo. These are not hermaphrodites and not men, as many might think today. Of course, there were such inhabitants in harems, too, but they were kept secret, since the Koran did not welcome these things. And about beauty ... the taste and color of comrades are not. As for vegetation - for oriental women this is typical. However, it cannot be ruled out that the owner of the harem just liked the "mustached" ladies. Fused eyebrows were fashionable at that time, and fullness was synonymous with beauty. Women in the harem are especially very fed tightly and did not allow them to move actively. "

If you decide to learn how to play chess, the first step is to understand the name of the chess pieces. This will greatly speed up and simplify the process of further training. The game of chess is one of the oldest, it is many centuries old. Its development was continuous: at first, people played with grains, then with clay balls, and only by the Middle Ages, those figures that are familiar to us appeared on the board.

Today, when playing chess, each player uses six types of pieces. They differ in color: one has white pieces, and the other has black pieces. In this case, the "army" of both one and the other player consists of 16 figures. We will consider them in more detail a little further. Each piece has its place on the board and a certain trajectory of movement, method or methods of movement during the game. So, let's understand the name of the chess pieces from pictures and photos.

1. (King) - this is the most important figure on the "battlefield" around which the game is built. After all, the end of the game comes exactly when the opponent's king is defeated. Despite his status, the king is quite limited in movement, he can move just one square in any direction. But at the same time he has an advantage - the possibility of castling. This term means a joint move with the rook, during which the king is sent to a safer place.

2. (Queen) is the most active, strongest and second most important piece during the game. Its possibilities in the trajectories of movement are the most diverse. The queen can move both up and down the board, and left and right, as well as along the white and black diagonals. The queen is a heavy piece from the opponent's point of view, because she has great opportunities to defend the king and can be in the right place at almost any moment. The queen usually looks almost the same as the king, but a little lower and often with a small ball at the top.

3. (Rook) - This figure only moves vertically or horizontally and is limited by obstacles. At the start, the player has two rooks, which are placed at the edges of the field. They are sometimes referred to as "officers" because these figures protect the royal family.

4. (Bishop) - also a paired figure, considered easy, usually looks like a low turret with a pointed droplet. This uniform may resemble the clothes of a monk - and it is. The figure appeared precisely due to the fact that Catholic priests were fond of chess and brought something of their own into it.

5. (Knight) - usually looks like the corresponding animal. Its peculiarity is an unusual manner of movement, namely the letter "G" in any direction. The knight easily jumps over obstacles (opponent's pieces) and at the beginning of the game stands next to the rook.

6. (Pawn) is a chess soldier who rushes into battle first, opens the game. Each has 8 pawns. They move in the most simple way - one cell and only forward, although as the first move they can jump over the cell, and they knock down enemy figures only obliquely. Pawns play an important role, they defend other pieces, and when they reach the opposite edge of the board, they can return in their place any previously captured piece - both the queen, and the rook, and the knight. The only exception is the king.

Let's expose! This is what the shah's harem looked like? March 4th, 2017

Now on the main page in LiveJournal hanging post, which claims that Shah Qajar personally photographed his harem. This is, as it were, nothing, but it is also stated there that the average wife in a harem looked something like the first photo. What a horror!

And we are accustomed to the fact that in the films we are shown a harem consisting of oriental ladies, with pitch-black hair and glowing eyes that beckon with their beauty. But it turns out that during the reign of Nasreddin Shah, there were such wives in his harem, looking at whom one would like to say "Gulchatay, cover your face!"

Let's take a look at this strange situation. See for yourself the rest of the photos ...

Ad-Din Shah Qajar and photographer Sevryugin before the photo shoot

So we are told that one of Shah Qajar's many passions was photography. He liked taking pictures as a child, and when he came to power, he decided to create the first official photo studio in his palace. In the 1870s, Russian photographer Anton Sevryugin opened his atelier in Tehran, who became the court photographer of the Iranian ruler. Sevryugin created a photo chronicle of Iran and was awarded an honorary title for his services.

A Russian photographer could take pictures of the Shah himself, his male relatives, courtiers and servants. And behind him, Qajar, an ardent admirer of the photo, left the right to shoot his harem, in which, according to historians, he had about 100 concubines.

Fullness is the main criterion for beauty

It is known that the photographs of Nasser al-Din Shah printed himself in the palace laboratory and kept in satin albums in his Golestan palace, where the museum is currently located.

The incomparable Anis al-Doleh - the beloved wife of the shah (right)

The extraordinary nature of the photographs of his concubines lies in the fact that according to Shiite laws at that time it was impermissible to photograph the faces of people, and even more so the faces of women. And only the most powerful man in the country could afford to break the law.

The thinness of the inhabitants of the harem did not suffer

After looking at these photos, one could conclude about the tastes of the Iranian monarch - all women in the body, with fused bushy eyebrows and well-visible antennae. It is clearly seen that the women did not suffer from hunger and were not burdened with physical work. Experts say that there are even nude photos in Golestan's collection, but they are safely hidden.

How so! But even at that time there were still other standards of beauty!

By the way, does this photo remind you of anyone?

And she reminded me of this figure :-)

Let's get down to unmasking, though!

These photos go around the Internet with the caption "Harem". In fact, these are photographs of male actors of the first state theater created by order of Shah Nasereddin (a great lover of European culture) at the Dar el Funun Polytechnic School in 1890, who performed satirical plays only for the palace nobility. The organizer of this theater was Mirza Ali Akbar Khan Naggashbashi, who is considered one of the founders of modern Iranian theater. Since women were forbidden to perform on stage, these roles were played by men. The first women took the stage in Iran in 1917.

In 1861 Mirza Malkom Khan published three satirists in Istanbul. plays on the socio-political. text: "The Adventure of Ashraf Khan, Governor of Arabistan", "Methods of Governance of Zaman Khan from Borujerd" and "Shakhkulimirza Goes on a Pilgrimage to Karbala". Mirza Malkom Khan became the founder of Iranian drama, although his plays were intended more for reading (they were never staged in t-ts). In the 2nd floor. 19th century there was a play on a local theme unknown. author "Scandal in the presence of His Majesty", a close satirist. plays by Mirza Malkom Khan. At the end of the 19th century. in Iran the plays were popular Azerb. playwright MF Akhundov (his plays were translated into Persian and published in Tabriz in a separate collection in 1873). These were the first plays, post. for a wide audience in Tabriz and Tehran in 1906.

sources

Chess has attracted attention for a long time. After all, this is not only a game of intellectuals. It combines creativity and mathematics, logic and a non-standard approach to solving situations.

So let's see where it all started.

The history of the game

Unusual word "chaturanga". Few have heard it today. In fact, this is the name of the game in ancient India, which became the progenitor of chess. It was played by four people, and each had only eight pieces. Raja (king), chariot (rook), cavalry, bishop and four pawns. The colors were also different from the modern ones. There were red, green, yellow and black figurines on the board. It's not easy - to put a check and checkmate!

There was, however, an option for two players. In terms of the number and arrangement of pieces, it is exactly the same as chess today.

The second version of the origin is Byzantine. In the Middle Ages, the Roman nobility enjoyed themselves in Zatrikion. Two opponents, 16 pieces each. It seems that everything is the same as it is now ... But not everything is so simple! The board was round! Sixteen fields along the outer circumference and four along the width of the playing ring.

In the Russian Empire in the XVIII-XIX centuries. was popular chess for four players with fortresses. 76 pieces, 192 squares and a 20-square board!

Today there are fields in the form of a cylinder and a torus (donut). You can check and checkmate by going around from behind!

And the modification of this game, invented in 1948, is supplemented by the rules of checkers and is called checkers. You can only move along black squares, and each participant has 8 pawns, 2 kings, 1 bishop and 1 camel (another name is nanny; the same as a knight in standard chess).

The "combat" version of the game assumes the following. The board is divided horizontally into two halves, and the opponents place their troops secretly from each other. Then it is assembled into one whole and continues according to the usual rules.

What is Shah

So, back to the standard field. The goal of the game is to destroy the king of the other side. So, attacking him is a check. If the opponent was able to defend or avoid him, the fight continues.

Let's take an example. The picture shows this position: attacks the black king.

There are several types of chess in chess:

Eternal(as soon as the player moves away from the threat, the next move he is again under attack).

This method of attack will greatly lengthen the game time, practically up to several hours. However, on the other hand, it is very beneficial for the loser. You can make a repeated move three times and, if the player wishes, a draw will be declared.

Hidden(a piece that was previously hidden by another of the same color checks. That is, one moved away, the other attacked).

A fairly common type of attack. The beauty of it lies in the fact that when you create a suitable arrangement on the board, you can pick up one of the enemy fighters, while the enemy king will be under attack. The next step of your opponent will also be a plus for you, since he will have to defend, not attack and develop a position.

Cross(after closing from the threat, you, in response, attack the opponent's king with the same move).

A very common answer to the previous option, which was ill-considered in every detail. Often, beginners have a situation where the opponent seems to "gape". A terrific piece is under attack, or the check is just that. If you think the situation is completely in your favor, and everything is going like clockwork, stop and look at the board from a different angle. Perhaps, with your head held high, you are walking towards your own defeat, right into a set trap.

What is checkmate

This is not a curse of the defeated side, but just a similar sounding word. In Persian it means “helpless, immobilized”, and in Arabic it means “dead”.
Your king is under attack, but there is nowhere to run, nothing to beat and no way to close? This is what happened. Everything, check and checkmate, which means "the end of the game."

The main task is to prevent such a turn of events at any cost. It may turn out to be a draw, create a stalemate. But it is better to understand in detail all the intricacies of the game and conduct the very position on the board.
Analyze games from the notes, analyze the decisions of the grandmasters at the world championships. Finally, learn how the opening differs from the middlegame!

This amazing game is so varied and multifaceted that when you become friends with it, you will begin to change for the better. Even if now not everything is as good as we would like.

Well, nothing, soon master the strategy and tactics so that you can fight several opponents at once!

Now let's take a look at the main options for winning.

Checkmate with a queen

One of the first two studies for beginners. We know how to walk, learned how to record games. It's time to put the first mat in greenhouse conditions. And what, training is necessary. It is hard to learn, easy to fight.

We carefully consider the composition. A great combo for beginners. The solution is elementary, wherever the figures are. The white king stands on A1, and the next move the black queen attacks it, moving to A3. Is it possible to close or beat the attacker? And to escape from the blow? Difficult situation. The game is over, and the loser should disassemble the game from the recording and analyze the mistakes made.

Elephant checkmate

It's also a fairly common win variation. One or two officers can play a key role in a battle. And if the enemy still shortsightedly leaves the flanks open, it would be a sin not to seize the moment. Checkmate, gentlemen.

Notice that the stronger pieces haven't actually moved yet. The elephant cavalry did all the work! This happens in games when the players are carried away by some strategic ideas. Imagine, yesterday you were analyzing Capablanca's opening, but today your opponent moves in such a way that there is an opportunity to realize it. The beauty!

Rook checkmate

A classic composition for beginner players. One or two rooks, two kings and an empty board. One of the first sketches that you will get acquainted with in the process of mastering this excellent strategy. The white king holds G7 and H7, the round attacks on the eighth rank. "Finita la Comedy".

Checkmate with bishop and knight

More difficult task. The cavalry walks with the letter "L", the officer - only on the diagonal of the same color, in our case - white. The black king can run long enough from such a company until he is squeezed into a corner. And there are already three to one.

Such moments, of course, happen in an ordinary game, but more often it happens in sketches. Start with short examples, work through all the options for events. Later, you will move on to a more difficult level, figures will be added. The solutions will begin to hide not after three moves, but after seven. We develop combinatorics, we tighten our observation skills. It's only the beginning!

Checkmate with king and pawn

Another element of the composition. Even if there is no rival, and you are just learning the basics. Take a couple of puzzles, a board, and a set of figurines. Try to jot down the parts for later analysis.

In our case, there are several plot developments. Checkmate in chess in this way is put by pawns or, if one of them reaches the last rank, in one of the previous ways.

You can choose any piece instead of a pawn.

So, today we got acquainted with the history of an amazing game - chess, looked at basic studies. Dealt with such concepts as check and checkmate.

But this is only the first step. We have not even entered the threshold of this magical palace yet. The joys of the greatest victories and the sorrows of irreversible defeats are still waiting for you. Happy tears of the champion of the country or the world, the proud title of a grandmaster.

Who knows, having become infected with prospects, perhaps you will begin to develop and spread the idea to the masses. Logical thinking will become flexible, and an attentive gaze will become tenacious.
The versatility of the chess world is breathtaking and striking in its prospects. As the classic said, Moscow will be renamed New Vasyuki, and Vasyuki - Old Moscow.

The rest is a matter of practice. Good luck, dear readers!