Female chess grandmasters rebel over hijabs for Iran competition

Female chess grandmasters have condemned the decision to hold the next world championships in Iran and accused governing body Fide of violating its own rules against gender discrimination.

It was announced that the prestigious event will be held in Tehran next year, but the choice of location has met with uproar from players.

It was a "ridiculous" choice, said British grandmaster Jovanka Houska.

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Giving the championships to Iran, where a strict Islamic code of modesty has been imposed on women since the 1979 revolution, demonstrated a "lack of concern" for female players, who had been made to feel "uncomfortable" at previous, smaller competitions held in the country, she added.

Several players have threatened to withdraw from the contest if they are forced to wear hijabs, in line with the country's modesty laws.

The backlash over the Islamic nation's dress code is part of a wider concern about how the country's rules could impact on female players' performances. For instance, strict gender segregation would prevent them from being alone with their male coaches.

Current US champion Nazi Paikidze told The Times: "This is a country where to this day women's rights are severely restricted. I will not be supporting this oppression of women by wearing a hijab myself."

Paikidze said she now faced an untenable situation, knowing she risked imprisonment if she attended the championships without a headscarf.

Women who neglect to cover their hair and wear modest clothing in public can receive a fine, prison sentence or lashes.

Under the presidency of reformist Mohammad Khatami in the late 1990s and early 2000s, some Iranian women began to push the boundaries by wearing skimpier hijabs and tighter-fitting, Western-style clothing.

However, there is evidence of a recent conservative backlash, the Middle East Institute reports, with a string of acid attacks in 2014 believed to be retaliations against women perceived to be wearing an insufficiently modest head covering.

In response, Fide's Commission for Women's Chess urged participants to respect "cultural differences" and abide by Iranian law.