Iranian Chess Referee’s Activism Sparks Challenge Against Russian Chief

Shohreh Bayat, a chess referee who fled Iran three years ago, faces potential isolation for challenging the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and its president—a former Russian deputy prime minister—over her attire at a recent tournament in October.

Her decision not to wear a headscarf at the Women’s World Chess Championship in 2020 sparked controversy in Iran, prompting her exile out of fear of reprisals.

At the 2022 Fischer Random World Chess Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland, Bayat, now based in London, took a stand by wearing clothing in solidarity with Iranian protests and Ukrainian struggles despite ongoing political unrest.

During the tournament, she boldly donned a t-shirt with the slogan “WomanLifeFreedom,” expressing solidarity with women’s rights movements in Iran.

Despite an informal request from a FIDE official to avoid wearing such attire, Bayat stood firm, pointing out the absence of specific dress code rules for the event in FIDE’s arbiter handbook.

Bayat expressed frustration when Arkady Dvorkovich, FIDE’s president, reportedly urged her via WhatsApp not to politicize official FIDE events.

She complied the next day by refraining from wearing the t-shirt, but she maintained that her actions were not in violation of any rules, arguing that Dvorkovich’s directive was politically motivated.

In a gesture of solidarity, Bayat wore a blue and yellow outfit to support Ukraine and honor victims of a tragic plane crash near Tehran in 2020.

Despite being recognized as Europe’s top female arbiter in 2022, Bayat has not received subsequent invitations to FIDE events since the Iceland tournament.

She was briefly removed from the arbiter commission, with FIDE citing her attire choices as a factor, although she has since been reinstated.

Bayat has criticized FIDE’s perceived leniency towards the Iranian Chess Federation’s political stance, contrasting the organization’s swift action on her attire with Iran’s ongoing policy of forfeiting games against Israeli opponents, which FIDE has yet to address effectively.

Bayat’s concerns about Dvorkovich’s impartiality, given Russia’s ties with Iran, underscore her allegations of bias within FIDE. While FIDE emphasizes political neutrality among its officials, Bayat maintains that her actions were within her rights to advocate for human rights causes.

Bayat’s principled stance has earned support and raised broader questions about the intersection of sports, politics, and human rights activism, prompting ongoing debates within international sporting organizations.