Everywhere you go in Kas, nearly every shop, office and restaurant, will have a blue amulet, a Nazar Boncugu (eye bead) to ward off bad luck.
Our Turkish guests might well know far more than I do: my knowledge is from Wikipedia and some googling, from which I can tell that such nazars are found throughout Turkey and neighboring countries.
I really like seeing them around, particularly when spotting them on occasion embedded in the streets. The street down from the lion’s tomb (Uzun Carsi, or better known as ‘Slippy street’, since the marbled paving is slippery) has particularly many Nazar Boncugus.
Of course, at Sundown Villa, we have one, to protect the villa and everyone who stays at it. We hope it brings good luck.
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
Black to play and mate White
Botvinnik v Stahlberg, Moscow 1940
Solution
Surprisingly, I can’t find this game: odd, given who the players are.
Not too hard today, because various sensible moves win. 1…Rg2 is given by Fritz as -12; 1…d4 -25; but 1…Rh3+ is mate in 6, after 2 gh d4!
FEN
5bk1/1p4p1/pP3p2/Pq1pnP2/8/1r5P/RN1Br1P1/2QR3K b – – 0 1
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
White to play and mate Black
Alekhine v Nestor; simul, Trinidad 1939
Solution
Solvable, because there are so few options: 1 Rc8 and if 1…Rc8, 2 Qe7! is a double attack: hitting c8 and d8: 1-0.
FEN
3r3k/3P1ppp/p3q3/1pR1P3/2p5/Q5PP/P4P1K/8 w – – 0 1
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
White to play and mate Black
Kasparyan v Manveljan, Yerevan 1939
Solution
I think I must have seen this position before, since the ‘pattern’ came quickly to me: 1 Rc6! Bc6 2 Qc4+ Kb7 3 Qc6+! – the key.
After 3…Kc6[] 4 Ne5+ Kc5 5 Nd3+ Kd4[] 6 Kd2 and mate next move by 7 c3.
FEN
2q4r/2p4p/kpnp2p1/p2b4/P6Q/1PR2NP1/2P3BP/2K5 w – – 0 1
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
White to play and win (or, have a good advantage)
Taube v Finotti, Hamburg 1939
Solution
1 Qa6! is fairly obvious, with the typical motif of 1…ba?? 2 Ba6 mate. So 1…Qb4 and 2 Qa7 and White is better: 2..Bd6 3 a3 Qb6 works, since if 4 Qb6 Nb6 protects the Bd6. White ends a pawn up.
FEN
2kr1b1r/pp1nqpp1/2p1bn1p/3p4/3P1B2/2N2N2/PPP1QPPP/1K1R1B1R w – – 0 1
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
White to play and win (a good challenge: and Black does have a good line of defence, leading to White merely being better: a puzzle to spend time on)
Szabo v Stuart Milner-Barry, Hastings 1938
Solution
I found the main line fairly quickly, but told a long time to work through and defeat Black’s best defence.
1 Qc3! double attack.
In the game, Black played 1…Qg6, losing in similar fashion to the alternative defence 1…Bf6.
After 1…Qg6 2 Rae1 brings more pieces to the party, and after 2…Kf8 3 Qa3+/3Qb4+/3Qc5+ are all 1-0. Szabo played 3 Qb4+, but 3 Qc5+ is prettiest:
The better defence was 1…Bf6! when 2 Rae1 Qb5 follows:
3 Qc4!! shades of Torre-Adams New Orleans 1920; Qd7
Here, I chose 4 Qc7 (similar to 4 Qd5)
a move I would have to play in a game, given the chance, but Fritz says White is only somewhat better after 4…Re2 5 Qd7 Re1+ 6 Kg2 Rd8 7 Qb7 Re2 8 Qa7 Rb2: no doubt true. (FEN 3r2k1/Q4ppp/5b2/5N2/8/6PP/Pr3PK1/8 w – – 0 37)
Better 4 Qg4! and White gets a better version of the ending: 4..Re2 5 Nh6+ Kh8 (5…Kf8 6 Qd7 adds a mating threat Qf7 so is 1-0) 6 Nf7+! Kg8 7 Nh6+ Kh8 8 Qd7 Re1+ 9 Kg2 Rf8
and White is better.
FEN
2r1r1k1/pp3ppp/1q6/5Nb1/8/5QPP/PP2RP2/R5K1 w – – 0 29
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
Black to play and mate White
Koch v Zollner, Munich 1938
Solution
Since it is a problem in a puzzle book, you have to look at 1…Ra2! and calculate 2 Na2. I chose 2…Qa3+ 3 Kb1[] and tried to make 3…Qa2+ work, but 3…Qa2 is ??; instead 3…Nb3! or better 2…Nb3+! is the way to win.
If 3 cb then 3…Qa3+ and it is easy; or 3 Kb1 Nd2++.
FEN
rr4k1/2p2ppp/5n2/4b3/1q1n2P1/1PNB3P/P1PB2Q1/2KR3R b – – 0 1
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
White to play and mate Black
Alekhine v Reshevsky, Kemeri 1937
Solution
Part of my chess education, so solved instantly. 1 Rb8+! Kb8 2 Qe5+! and mates.
FEN
Rnk5/1p4pp/1Pp2pq1/2B1r3/1P6/7P/3r2PQ/5RK1 w – – 0 35
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
White to play and mate Black
Morra v Rossolimo, Nice 1937
Solution
I presume this game was between the two players for whom variations in the Sicilian defence are named after? I have not been able to find the game itself in Megabase or elsewhere to help corroborate this supposition.
Anyway, straightforward, since examine all biffs quickly leads to 1 Qh5+! gh[] 2 g6+ Kg6[] 3 Rg1+ and mate.
FEN
r5nr/p1q1pRbk/3pP1p1/2p3Pp/2P5/7P/PP1B3K/R2Q4 w – – 0 1
Another puzzle from Dragoslav Andric’s 1981 book “Matni Udar”.
White to play and mate Black
Vidmar v Adam, corres 1037
Solution
With mate threatened on b2, White has to do something drastic, meaning checks, and with the chance of Black’s King slipping away to the d file and then c8 or even c6, something has to be done.
After examining the normal checks like 1 Qg7+ and 1 Nf5+, and finding them wanting (and Fritz confirms that all moves lose except for the solution) I found the decoy 1 Re4+! and saw immediately that ‘it worked’. And a bit of analysis on each of Black’s several defences proved it.
1…Re4 2 Qd5! is elegant: hitting the LPDO Re4, threatening 3 Qf7 mate, and if 2…Re6, the Q still reaches f7 via 3 Qd7+;
1…Be4 2 Qg7+ Ke6[] and either 3 Qg4+ or 3 Qf7+ start a check-check-check king hunt;
1..Kd7 or 1…Kd8, 2 Qd5+, and the best Black can do is 2…Qd6, when 3 Qb5+ or 3 Qf7+ win the Queen.
FEN
4r3/ppp1k3/5p1N/n2b2Q1/1qp3R1/8/PP2rPPP/2KR4 w – – 0 1
allanbeardsworth 