Sara Khadem has been playing chess competitively since she was about eight years old. This is not the first time she has fallen foul of the Islamic Republic’s strict codes of behaviour. In 2020, a Ukrainian plane which took off from Tehran airport was shot down by, as it turned out, the Revolutionary Guard Corps, killing 176 people. It was three days before the authorities admitted their error. Ms Khadem said on social media she was planning to leave the national team. She did not mention the flight – nevertheless, she was forced to sign a confession saying she did not mean anything political by her post.
