Iranian chess arbiter Shohreh Bayat fears ostracism for her activism as she challenges the head of the Russian game’s governing body

CNN
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Three years after fleeing Iran, chess arbiter Shohreh Bayat fears further ostracism after challenging the game’s governing body and its president, Russia’s former deputy prime minister, over her choice of clothing at a tournament in October. .

In 2020, Bayat was criticized in Iran for not wearing the proper headscarf at the Women’s World Chess Championship in China and Russia. She refused to give in to the regime’s pressure but, as a result, she has not returned home for fear of punishment.

Now, three years later, Bayat has raised the eyebrows of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) and its president for wearing clothing in support of the Iranian protests and the people of Ukraine.

Bayat, 35, who now lives in London with her husband, recently arbitrated at the 2022 Fischer Random World Chess Championship in Reykjavik, Iceland, in October.

The tournament was another chance for Bayat to officiate to some of the sport’s biggest stars, although it came at a difficult time when protests swept across his home country of Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini.

The 22-year-old Iranian-Kurdish woman died in mid-September after being detained by the country’s morality police, allegedly for failing to comply with the country’s conservative dress code, sparking outrage over a series of grievances with the regimen.

“It reminded me of my own story,” Bayat told CNN. “So I decided to stand up for women’s rights in Iran. During the tournament I wore a T-shirt with the motto of the Iranian people ‘WomanLifeFreedom’ and I wanted to be with them”.

Bayat said that after the first day of wearing the jersey, a FIDE official asked him, unofficially, not to wear it.

In a statement sent to CNN, FIDE said that “referees at major events must dress appropriately and discreetly” and that Bayat “ignore direct instructions given to him to stop using slogans or slogans.”

According to Bayat, such regulations are not found in the FIDE referee manual and he says that no dress code was provided for the event in Iceland.

The referee’s manual says that officials must “follow the dress code” and must be “dressed appropriately, helping to enhance the image of chess as a sport.” CNN has contacted FIDE to clarify the dress code expected for the October event.

Frustrated by the request to stop using the catchphrase, Bayat said she decided she wasn’t breaking any rules, so she used it again the next day.

Bayat says he was once again asked by an official to remove it, only this time he was told the request came from FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich, who previously served as Russia’s deputy prime minister and attended the tournament in Iceland.

Bayat said Dvorkovich never spoke to her in person about the shirt, despite being in the same room as her when she wore it.

Dvorkovich, however, sent him a message on WhatsApp (messages seen by CNN) asking Bayat not to use official FIDE events for “political purposes”.

Angered by Dvorkovich’s request, Bayat says she responded quickly but later deleted her “emotional” response.

Bayat then informed Dvorkovich that he would not wear the jersey the next day, although he wanted to do “the right thing”.

Since FIDE’s statute states that it is “committed to respecting all internationally recognized human rights and will endeavor to promote the protection of these rights,” Bayat said it decided it had not violated any rules.

“I thought carefully and realized that it was not me who was making chess political, but Arkady,” Bayat said.

“I was following the FIDE rules, but Arkady was violating them by forbidding me from defending women’s rights in Iran.”

FIDE refuted any idea that politics played a role in Dvorkovich’s application to Bayat.

“We were not judging his views or his activism, but the platform and the moment that he chose,” FIDE told CNN.

The next day, Bayat, who has not seen his parents since he left Iran more than three years ago, said he bought a blue and yellow suit and wore it in support of the Ukrainian people fighting against the Russian invasion, and also in memory of the 176 people who died when Iran said it unintentionally shot down a Ukrainian plane that crashed near Tehran in 2020.

Iranian chess referee seeking UK asylum

She says she was not told about the blue and yellow outfit but, since leaving the tournament in Iceland, Bayat told CNN that she has not been invited to another FIDE event, even though the organization recognized her as the best female referee in Europe in 2022.

Bayat said she was initially removed from the referee commission, a register of all qualified referees, and, in a message seen by CNN, told by a senior FIDE official it was because of her outfits in Iceland.

His name is currently in the database and FIDE told CNN that Bayat was still in contention to officiate future events, but has “more international referees than world events, so we need to set up some rotation.”

FIDE President Dvorkovich was first elected in 2018 and was re-elected for a second term in August. The 50-year-old previously served as Russia’s deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2018 after a stint as the Kremlin’s top economic adviser.

The Kremlin welcomed Dvorkovich’s re-election as FIDE president last year, but he has always maintained that his proximity to the Kremlin would not affect his work for FIDE, noting that he was one of the most important establishment figures in Russia. who questioned the war in Ukraine.

However, Bayat told CNN that he believes Dvorkovich does not accept criticism of Iran because of Russia’s ties to the country: Iran continues to support Russia with military aid for the war in Ukraine.

She points to FIDE’s handling of the Iran Chess Federation as further proof of this.

Dvorkovich wrote a letter urging Iran to comply with FIDE regulations in 2020 after he allegedly told his players not to play against Israeli opponents.

The acting president of the Iran Chess Federation responded by saying that Iran has always complied with FIDE rules and statutes, and that the athletes themselves decide which events to participate in.

Despite receiving a warning, Iranian players continue to lose games and FIDE has yet to take any concrete action.

“I find it extremely ironic that FIDE finds my human rights jersey political, but when the Iran Chess Federation repeatedly forces its players not to play against Israel, FIDE remains silent and turns a blind eye,” Bayat said.

Asked by CNN if he trusted Dvorkovich was working without pressure from the Russian authorities regarding Bayat’s support for the Iranian protests, FIDE said it had complete and utter faith in him.

“While we respect Ms. Bayat’s political stance and activities, any FIDE official must follow political neutrality while on duty, and of all the official positions one can hold, referee is the one that demands standards. highest standards of integrity, neutrality, and discretion,” FIDE said in a statement to CNN.

“No matter how noble or uncontroversial the cause, activism in that role is inappropriate and unprofessional. In fact, he was asked not to use any catchphrases while acting as a referee and he explained the reasons.”

Bayat’s activism has garnered the attention of the biggest names in the sport after the Iranian chess referee. tweeted about the incident again on Sunday.

US grandmaster Hikaru Nakamura recently tweeted “#WomenLifeFreedom #IStandWithUkraine” in response to a message about Bayat. cheep.

Meanwhile, the coach of chess superstar Magnus Carlsen, Peter Heine Nielsen tweeted: “The chess world needs to make a decision. Which side are we really on?

Bayat, who now also works in primary schools teaching chess, said the support he has received has been “touching”, as it was when he first applied for asylum in England in 2020.

“At first I was trying to support Iranian women. I think that’s important and it’s really nice to see other people support me for doing the right thing,” she said.