The chess grandmaster on the cover of Vogue magazine

Sara Khadem said there was a slow evolution of her decision to play in the tournament in Kazakhstan in December last year without her headscarf. The contestants only wore them in front of the cameras, and she felt that was hypocritical. Given the sacrifices being made by the women and girls on the streets, some of them risking their lives, it was the least she could do, she said.