Women's U.S. Chess Champion's Stand Against Iran Makes The Washington Post

National coverage - good for the current U.S. Women's Chess Champion and good for The Washington Post in publicizing her principled stand against this kind of religious tyranny and sexism!

The American Chess Champion Challenging Iran's Hijab Fetish

By Asra Q. Nomani and Masih Alinejad
October 5, 2016

Last week, FIDE, the international chess federation, quietly announced that Iran would host next year’s Women’s World Chess Championship, which means contestants will have to cover their hair with scarves to comply with a “modesty” law fundamentalist clerics put in place after the 1979 Islamic revolution.

As British Grandmaster Nigel Short spread the news, expressing concern, the 2016 U.S. champion, Nazi Paikidze-Barnes, a Georgian American, made a morally courageous move: Paikidze said she would skip the competition rather than comply with a law that denies women and girls fundamental human rights.

“I will NOT wear a hijab and support women’s oppression. Even if it means missing one of the most important competitions of my career,” the chess champion said. [visit link to read the article in its entirety].

Top Female Chessplayers Threaten Boycott of World Championship Scheduled In Mysogynist Iran

My first knowledge of and comments about this outrage were made in the post immediately below this one earlier today, but really, I doubt my loyal readers would have to read my comments in order to know where I stand on this subject.
This article is from the Guardian:

'We won't wear hijabs': Chess queens threaten to boycott world championships in Iran after being told they MUST wear Islamic headscarfs

• Female chess players will have to wear hijab at a 2017 tournament in Iran 
• 
  US champion Nazi Paikidze threatened to pull out of the games in Tehran
• 
  Pan American champion Carla Heredia also voiced her anger at the move
• 
  All women in Iran must wear hijab if not they will face arrest or punishment

By BEN CLERKIN FOR MAILONLINE

PUBLISHED: 11:33 EST, 29 September 2016 | UPDATED: 04:07 EST, 30 September 2016

Top women chess players are threatening to boycott the world championship in Iran because they will be forced to wear hijabs.

Female Grandmasters will risk arrest if they do not cover up to compete in the strict Middle Eastern country due to host the knock-out tournament next year. 

The World Chess Federation, known by its French acronym Fide, has now been accused of failing to stand up for women’s rights after telling players to accept the laws and respect ‘cultural differences’, The Telegraph reported.

US women's champion Nazi Paikidze said: ‘It is absolutely unacceptable to host one of the most important women's tournaments in a venue where, to this day, women are forced to cover up with a hijab.

‘I understand and respect cultural differences. But, failing to comply can lead to imprisonment and women's rights are being severely restricted in general. It does not feel safe for women from around the world to play here.’

She added: ‘If the situation remains unchanged, I will most certainly not participate in this event.’

The headscarves have been mandatory for women in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.  The strict regulation is enforced by the country’s ‘morality police’ and any woman found not wearing one in public faces arrest, a fine or public reprimand.

The UK government warns women travelling to Iran of the ‘strictly enforced’ dress code and says ladies must cover their heads with a scarf in public and wear trousers or long skirts.

Former Pan American champion Carla Heredia, from Ecuador, added: ‘No institution, no government, nor a Women's World Chess Championship should force women to wear or to take out a hijab.

‘This violates all what sports means. Sport should be free of discrimination by sex, religion and sexual orientation.’

American Grandmaster Susan Polgar, chairman of Fide's Commission for Women's Chess, has said the players need to respect ‘cultural differences’.

She said: ‘When I visited different places with different cultures, I like to show my respect by dressing up in their traditional style of clothing. No one asked me to do it. I just do it out of respect.

‘I personally would have no issues with wearing a head scarf (hijab) as long as it is the same to all players.

‘I cannot speak on behalf of others but from my personal conversations with various players in the past year, they had no real issues with it.’

Fide did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Mail.

Whoa! World female chess players shame Turkey

From news.am
January 15, 2011 | 12:22

Participants of the recent 2010 Women’s World Chess Championship in Turkey, including Armenian chess players Elina Danielyan and Lilit Mkrtchyan, wrote an open letter to FIDE complaining about poor level of organization of the tournament.

They also ask FIDE to take steps to improve the situation before the next Women’s World Chess Championship. The letter is posted on chessblog of Alexandra Kosteniuk.

It is signed by Elina Danielian, Nana Dzagnidze, Jovanka Houska, Tatiana Kosintseva, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Maia Lomineishvili, Evgenia Ovod, Amina Mezioud, Lilit Mkrtchian, Elisabeth Paehtz, Anna Muzychuk, Maria Muzhychuk, Natalia Pogonina, Marina Romanko, Irina Slavina, Soumya Swaminathan, Anna Zatonskih and Natalia Zhukova.

****************************************************************************

This letter should not be taken lightly.  It it signed by some of the top female chessplayers in the world, including the 12th Women's World Chess Championship, GM Alexandra Kosteniuk, who plays under the Russian flag but lives in the U.S.  IM Anna Zatonskih, one of the highest-rated female players in the U.S. and a multi-times U.S. Women's Chess Champion, also signed the letter.  Well, FIDE, what are you going to do about this, heh?  By the way, GM Kosteniuk is co-Chairperson with GM Susan Polgar of the Women's Chess Committee of FIDE. 

The letter and comments can be found at GM Alexandra Kosteniuk's chess blog.  Kudos to Kosteniuk for posting this letter.  The situation as described in the letter is absolutely disgusting.  FIDE, when are you going to get honest, and prevent these kinds of abuses from happening, just for the sake of some $$$ in kick-backs?