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].

Russian Women's Higher League 2010

The Russian Women's Higher League took place in St Petersburg, Russia August 26th - September 3rd, 2010. Top 10 final standings (9 rounds):

Nazi Paikidze at the 2010 Polonia Wroclaw
International Chess Tournament.
July 1, 2010.  Wikipedia.

Rank Name Ti Fed. Elo Pts TPR W-We 1
1 Paikidze, Nazi WGM GEO 2346 7.0 2534 +2.16 1
2 Girya, Olga WGM RUS 2376 6.5 2479 +1.25 1
3 Shadrina, Tatiana WGM RUS 2374 6.5 2413 +0.54 1
4 Zaiatz, Elena IM RUS 2398 6.0 2447 +0.57 0
5 Matveeva, Svetlana IM RUS 2379 6.0 2462 +0.99 ½
6 Nebolsina, Vera WGM RUS 2349 6.0 2440 +1.16 ½
7 Romanko, Marina IM RUS 2411 5.5 2422 +0.15 1
8 Savina, Anastasia WGM RUS 2392 5.5 2359 -0.35 ½
9 Manakova, Maria WGM SRB 2306 5.5 2456 +1.87 1
10 Ivakhinova, Inna WIM RUS 2279 5.5 2373 +1.17 ½