B-Four

A group of people playing chess in a public park in Tehran, Iran on Sunday, August 2, 2020. Photo: Ahmad Halabisaz/新华社 (Xīnhuá News Agency).

Unveiling the Veil

“My Stealthy Freedom”, a photo project by Amsterdam-based photographer Marinka Masséus on mandatory hijab in Iran, was awarded the Lens Portrait Award 2017 in the Juror’s Pick category. The series, in which women partly raise their veils, was taken in a Tehran apartment with the windows covered in tinfoil. “The hijab can be a state of mind as well as a state of dress and, for me, these portraits speak to a growing resistance toward repressive control, sartorial or otherwise”, the Photography Director of Vanity Fair Susan White said. Photos: Marinka Masséus.

• Helen Elston, Behind the veil: Iranian women cast off their hijabs – in pictures, The Guardian, January 6, 2018

Glowsticks

• Haleh Anvari, Bright lights and a bidet chandelier: Iran gets a blast of shocking colour, The Guardian, February 15, 2017

Chromatology presents “Glowsticks”, David Batchelor’s first solo exhibition in Tehran, Iran. Photo courtesy: Ab-Anbar Gallery.

Swept Away... by an Unusual Destiny in the Blue Sea of August

Long-term projects 60th World Press Photo Contest’s second prize “An Iranian Journey” by Hossein Fatemi. A muslim taxi driver praying on the sidewalk while Tara and Soroush, two Iranian students who live downtown, celebrate their wedding day in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Hossein Fatemi/Panos Pictures/World Press Photo via AP.

Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There

Long-term projects 60th World Press Photo Contest’s second prize Women play pool in a male-only venue in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Hossein Fatemi/Panos Pictures.

Never Too Many Handbags

Handbags for sale, Tehran, 1979. Photo: David Newell Smith for The Observer.

Behind the Veil

Tehran, Iran: Schoolgirls attend a rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Photo: Ebrahim Noroozi/AP.

Hijab street style

David Llada (@davidllada)

The Importance of Not Being Arcovazzi

Islamic Revolutionary who led war with Iraq but pushed for reconciliation with the west is buried in Tehran The funeral of Iran’s former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani turned into a rare display of public dissent on Tuesday as at least 2 million people packed the streets of Tehran to pay tribute to a man whose death has shaken the country’s political balance. [Read more].

• Saeed Kamali Dehghan, Rare opportunity to voice dissent in Iran as thousands mourn Rafsanjani, The Guardian, January 10, 2017

Faezeh Hashemi Bahramani, daughter of the former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, flashes a victory sign to the crowd from a bus during the funeral ceremony in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Vahid Salemi/AP.

A mourner in the crowd holds up a picture of Rafsanjani. Photo: 新华通讯社 (Xīnhuá News Agency)/Rex/Shutterstock.

A Thousand Tales

As we learn from the FIDE website, the Women’s World Chess Championship 2017 is planned to be held at Tehran, Iran, on next February. So far, no other detail was provided.

On a rainy day, a black and a white horse greet visitors at the gate of the chess park at Ajoodaniyeh, Tehran, Iran. Photo: fouman.com.

Sample ballot

A woman shows her inked finger after casting her ballot at a polling station in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images.

The Long Way Home

• Цзюй Вэньцзюнь идёт по стопам Хоу Ифань, (Jū Wénjūn going in the footsteps of Hóu Yìfán), Chess-News.ru, February 23, 2016

居文君 (Jū Wénjūn) is the winner of the Tehran Women’s Grand Prix
Photo: Alina l’Ami

From Ice-Breaker to Missile Boat

Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova – Natalia Andreevna Pogonina
Women’s Grand Prix Series 2015-2016; Tehran, February 22, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Declined D37

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 Nbd7 5. Bf4 dxc4 6. e3 Nb6 7. Bxc4 Nxc4 8. Qa4+ c6 9. Qxc4 Nd5 10. 0-0 Nxf4 11. exf4 Be7 12. Rfe1 0-0 13. Ne5 Qb6 14. Re2 Rd8 15. Rd1 Qb4 16. Qd3 Bd7 17. a3 Qb3 18. Re3 Be8 19. Rh3 g6? (19. ... h6 20. Qe2 Qb6) 20. Qe2 Qb6

21. Nxg6! fxg6 (21. ... hxg6 22. Qe5+-) 22. Qxe6+ Bf7 23. Qxe7 Rxd4 24. Qh4 h5 25. Rxd4 Qxd4 26. Re3 Kg7 27. h3 Rd8 28. Re5 Rf8 29. Re7 b5 30. Ne4 Kh8 31. Qg5 Qxb2 32. f5 Qg7 33. f6 Qh7 34. Qe5 g5 35. Nxg5 Qb1+ 36. Kh2 Qg6 37. Rxf7 1 : 0.

Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova (R.) vs. Natalia Andreevna Pogonina (L.)
Photo: Alina l’Ami

Our Day Will Come

Pia Cramling – Nana Dzagnidze
Women’s Grand Prix Series 2015-2016; Tehran, February 21, 2016
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D27

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. d4 dxc4 5. e3 a6 6. a4 c5 7. Bxc4 Nc6 8. 0-0 cxd4 9. exd4 Be7 10. Bg5 0-0 11. Qd2 Qa5. Another try is 11. ... Nb4 12. Ne5 Bd7 13. Rad1 Bc6 14. Nxc6 bxc6 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Ne4 Be7 17. b3 a5 18. Rfe1 Qb6 19. Re3 Rfd8 20. Rg3 g6 21. Rh3 Nd5 22. Qh6 Nf6 23. Nxf6+ Bxf6 24. Qxh7+ Kf8 25. Bxe6 fxe6 26. Rf3 Ra7 27. Rxf6+ Ke8 28. Rxe6+ Kf8 29. Qh8+ Kf7 30. Rf6+ Ke7 31. Qg7+ Ke8 32. Rf8 mate, M. Muzychuk – Krush, Women’s World Blitz Chess Champioship, Moscow 2010. 12. Rfd1 Rd8 13. Rac1 Bd7. Without committing big mistakes Black will inexorably slip down into a totally lost position. Here, it could be interesting 13. ... h6 and if 14. Bh4 then 14. ... Qb4!? 15. Qe2 Nd5 with a more balanced game. 14. Qe2 Be8. And here 14. ... Re8(!) looks sounder as after 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. Ne4 White has hardly more than a slight advantage. 15. Bxf6 Bxf6 16. d5 exd5 17. Nxd5 Rd6 18. b3 h6 19. h3 Rad8 20. Nxf6+ Rxf6 21. Rxd8 Qxd8 22. Rd1 Qc8

23. Ne5 Nxe5 24. Qxe5 Kf8 25. Re1 Qd8 26. Qe4 g6 27. Qxb7 Kg7 28. Qe7 Qxe7 29. Rxe7 Kf8 30. Ra7 Rd6 31. Rxa6 Rd1+ 32. Kh2 h5 33. Ra7 h4 34. a5 Rd2 35. f3 f5 36. Rc7 g5 37. a6 Bh5 38. Kg1 1 : 0.

Pia Cramling vs. Nana Dzagnidze
Photo: Alina l’Ami

As a Lady Would Say

Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova – Pia Cramling
Women’s Grand Prix Series 2015-2016; Tehran, February 19, 2016
English Opening A29

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Bb4 3. g3 Nf6 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Bg2 0-0 6. 0-0 h6 7. Nd5 Bd6. For 8. ... Re8 9. Nd2 Bf8 see Vachier-Lagrave – Miroshnichenko, 1st Al Ain Chess Classic, Al-Ain 2012. 8. d3 Nxd5 9. cxd5 Nd4 10. Nd2 c6 11. Nc4 Bb8 12. b3 cxd5 13. Bxd5 d6 14. Bb2 Nc6 15. d4 Bh3 16. Re1 Qd7 17. Qd2 Bc7 18. Rac1 Rac8 19. Bxc6 Qxc6 20. e4 Qb5 21. Qe2 d5 22. exd5 Qxd5 23. Ne3 Qd7 24. dxe5 Bb6 25. Rcd1 Qc6 26. Nd5 Rfe8 27. Nf4 Bf5 28. Rd6 Qc2 29. Rd2 Qc6

30. Rd6. Zhukova repeats moves in order to gain time on the clock. 30. ... Qc2 31. Rd2 Qc6 32. b4 Qa4 33. a3 Qb3 34. Nd5 Rc2 35. Rxc2 Bxc2 36. Nxb6 axb6 37. Bd4 Bf5 38. Qb5 Re6 39. Kg2 Rc6 40. Re3 Qd1 41. Bc3 Qc2 42. Be1 Qb1 43. Qd5 Rc1 44. Qd2 Be4+ 45. Kg1 Bc6 46. Qe2 Bd5 47. Qd2 Rd1 48. Qc3 b5 49. Re2 Qf5 50. e6 fxe6 51. Qe3?? A terrible blunder. 51. Re3 was called for. 51. ... Bc4. 51. ... Rd3! 52. Qf4 Qh3 53. Re4 Rd4!! was a much faster and more elegant solution. 52. Rb2 Qh3. And here 52. ... Qf3! was a pretty finish. 53. Re2 Bxe2 54. Qxe2 Rb1 55. f3 Qf5 56. Kg2 Rb3 57. Bf2 Rxa3 58. f4 Qd5+ 59. Kh3 Ra2 60. Qe3 Rb2 61. Qe1 Kf7 62. g4 Qf3+ 63. Bg3 h5 0 : 1.

Natalia Oleksandrivna Zhukova vs. Pia Cramling
Photo: Alina l’Ami

Vivere est cogitare

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina – Humpy Koneru
Women’s Grand Prix Series 2015-2016; Tehran, February 18, 2016
Catalan Opening E04

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 d5 4. Nf3 dxc4 5. Bg2 Bd7 6. Ne5 Bc6 7. Nxc6 Nxc6 8. 0-0 Qd7 9. e3 0-0-0 10. Nd2 h5 11. Nxc4 Nd5 12. a3. For 12. e4 Nb6 13. Nxb6+ axb6 14. d5 see Cernousek – Matsenko, Pankrác Cup 2014, Prague 2014. 12. ... h4 13. b4 f6 14. b5 Nce7 15. a4 hxg3 16. hxg3 g5

17. Bd2. White achieved an almost decisive superiority and her attack is particularly easy to implement. 17. ... Kb8 18. Qe2 Qe8 19. e4 Nb6 20. Nxb6 cxb6 21. Rfc1 Nc8 22. e5 Bg7 23. a5 fxe5 24. dxe5. Stronger and faster is 24. Qc4! Qf7 25. axb6 Nxb6 26. Qa2 with a mating attack. 24. ... Qh5 25. Qc4 Bxe5 26. Bc3 Bxc3 27. Qxc3 Qh2+ 28. Kf1 Qh7 29. Qe5+ Nd6. Not 29. ... Ka8? 30. axb6 Nxb6 31. Rxa7+! Kxa7 32. Ra1+ winning easily. 30. axb6 axb6 31. Ra3 Qh1+ 32. Bxh1 Rxh1+ 33. Kg2 Rxc1 34. Qxg5 Rdc8 35. Qe5 Rd1 36. Qxe6 Nxb5 37. Rb3. Natalia Andreevna misses 37. Ra8+!, but there is not very much difference in substance. 37. ... Nd6 38. Rxb6 Nc4 39. Rb4 Rd4 40. Qe7 Rc7 41. Qf8+ Rc8 42. Rxb7+ 1 : 0.

Natalia Andreevna Pogonina (R.) vs. Humpy Koneru (L.)
Photo: Alina l’Ami

When New Flowers Bloomed

Women’s Grand Prix Series 2015-2016; Tehran, February 18, 2016
Photo: Alina l’Ami

The Mirror

Alina l’Ami
Photo: Alina l’Ami

Nowhere Men

Tehran, Iran: Chess players out of nowhere...
Photo: Alina l’Ami

Jafar Panahi’s Taxi