Iranian Chess Player Who Competed Without Hijab Joins Spain's Prime Minister for a Game
An Iranian chess player who competed without a hijab during the World Blitz Chess Championship in December 2022 met Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez for a game on Wednesday, January 25.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, the 25-year-old chess player Sara Khadem decided to compete in the championship without a hijab to protest the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.
El Pais reported that Khadem now lives in Spain with her husband and 10-month-old son.
Footage posted to Sanchez’s Facebook page shows Khadem and Sanchez engaging in conversation before playing a game of chess.
“How much I have learned today from a woman who inspires me, the Women’s Chess Grandmaster Sara Khadem. All my support to women athletes. Your example contributes to a better world,” Sanchez wrote in a post alongside the video. Credit: Pedro Sanchez Perez-Castejon via Storyful
Video Transcript
[NO SPEECH]
