30 December 2022 :

Iranian Chess Grandmaster Sara Khadem Competes In International Tournament Without Hijab
Iranian chess player Sara Khadem competes without a hijab in Almaty on December 26.
A top female Iranian chess player has competed without a hijab at an international tournament in Kazakhstan, in an apparent gesture of solidarity with widespread protests in Iran triggered by the death of a young woman in police custody in September.
Iranian news outlets reported on December 26 that Iranian Woman Grandmaster Sara Khadem had competed at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty without wearing a hijab. The hijab became compulsory in public for Iranian women and girls above the age of 9 after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Since the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was arrested by Iran's notorious morality police for wearing a hijab "improperly," Iranians have flooded streets across the country in protest, with women and even schoolgirls putting up unprecedented shows of defiance in what appears to be the the biggest threat to the Islamic government since the 1979 revolution.
Hassan Tamini, head of Iran's chess federation, was quoted by the Fars news agency as saying that Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, participated in the chess competition without the backing of the federation.
"This chess player participated freely and at her own expense," Tamini said. "Khademalsharieh did not participate in these competitions through the federation, but went independently and did this action."
Khadem is the latest Iranian sportswoman to compete in an international event without a hijab in solidarity with Iranian protesters.
Several Iranian athletes and prominent public figures, including soccer star Ali Daei, have been summoned or arrested by the authorities and had their passports confiscated after showing support for anti-government protests.
In October, climbing champion Elnaz Rekabi sparked a controversy by competing in the Asian Championships in Seoul without a head scarf.
As noted by the huffingtonpost.it website, two Iranian chess players took part in the tournament in Kazakhstan without wearing the mandatory hijab. In addition to Sara Khadim, whose story became known, Atousa Pourkashiyan also competed bareheaded, reports the anti-regime news website IranWire. Khadim and Pourkashiyan appeared in photos posted to the International Chess Federation's Flickr feed without their hijabs, adds Iranwire, which also publishes the photos in question.
The story was mentioned by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
In the end-of-year press conference (December 29) Meloni addressed the bloody repression of popular protests in Iran.
"I was struck by the story of this chess champion who decides to participate in the World Chess Championship by taking off her veil in front of the world," Meloni commented. “It made me think. We are used to symbolic gestures but usually ours do not have potentially as serious consequences as this could have. This concerns you and others who are making symbolic gestures in Iran, knowing that they can pay very high prices This should make us reflect on the value of freedom, which we take for granted".

https://www.rferl.org/a/iran-chess-grand-master-khadem-hijab/32197203.html
https://www.huffingtonpost.it/esteri/2022/12/29/news/due_le_scacchiste_iraniane_a_gareggiare_senza_hijab_sara_khadim_si_trasferira_in_spagna-10988657/