In February 2017, the Women’s World Chess Championship will be held in Iran. The U.S. champion will not be there. Nazi Paikidze-Barnes has refused to participate in protest of the Islamic Republic’s compulsory dress code, which mandates that all women wear hijabs, or headscarves, in public. The law is strictly enforced regardless of a woman’s religion or nationality, and therefore would include all 64 competitors at the tournament. “I think it’s unacceptable to host a WOMEN’S World Championship in a place where women do not have basic fundamental rights and are treated as second-class citizens,” she posted on social media.
https://sports.vice.com/en_us/article/why-the-us-womens-chess-champion-refuses-to-play-in-iran
