Iranian Chess Champ Competes in International Tournament Without Hijab

Iranian chess player Sara Khadem took part in an international tournament without wearing a hijab, according to Iranian news outlets. Khadem, 25, is participating in this week’s FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Photos posted by the FIDE from the tournament showed Khadem, who is also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and is ranked 804 in the world, playing chess without her hair covered, as well as fellow Iranian chess player Atousa Pourkashiyan, also without a hijab. A headscarf is mandatory according to Iran’s strict dress code. Several Iranian female sports figures have appeared at recent international tournaments without the mandatory head covering, including rock climber Elnaz Rekabi, who was reportedly placed under house arrest upon her return to Tehran. The incident comes as Iran marks 100 days of antigovernment protests sparked by the death of 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Iran’s morality police after she was detained for not wearing her headscarf correctly.