Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

[Dan Scoones]

If Borna Derakhshani has in fact been disciplined by the Iranian Chess Federation for playing a tournament game against an Israeli grandmaster, then it is time for Iran's membership in FIDE to be suspended.

[Wayne Komer]

Re: Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

October 3, 2017

Female Iranian Chess Champ Banned for Not Wearing Hijab Joins U.S. Team

A nineteen-year-old female Iranian grandmaster announced that she was joining the Unites States chess federation after having been expelled from the Iranian federation earlier this year for failing to cover her hair during a tournament, The Telegraph reported Tuesday.

Dorsa Derakhshani’s registration, according to the FIDE, the World Chess Federation database, has been changed from Iran to the U.S.

Derakshani was expelled from Iranian chess federation in February when she competed in tournament in Gibraltar with her hair uncovered. Her younger brother, Borna, was expelled from the Iranian federation when he competed against an Israeli grandmaster during the same tournament.

Mehrdad Pahlevanzadeh, head of the Iranian Chess Federation, said at the time that the siblings “will be denied entry to all tournaments taking place in Iran, and, in the name of Iran, they will no longer be allowed the opportunity to be present on the national team.”

In an interview last week, Derakshani speculated that she was expelled while the Women’s World Chess Championship was taking in place in Tehran in order to distract from negative chess-related publicity Iran was receiving. Nazí Paikidze-Barnes, the reigning American female chess champion, had withdrawn from the tournament as a protest against having to wear hijabs. All three Iranian women who were participating in the tournament were eliminated in the first round. Finally, Iran’s chess federation was having friction with the FIDE over finances.

“So in the middle of all this, they needed another distraction. And somebody tipped off the reporters to specially ask about my brother and I, which worked perfectly,” Dorsa recalled. “Everybody started talking about us.”

When announcing her decision last year not to participate in the tournament hosted in Iran, Paikidze-Barnes wrote, “I think it’s unacceptable to host a WOMEN’S World Championship in a place where women do not have basic fundamental rights and are treated as second-class citizens.”

Her protest was supported by the U.S. Chess Federation, as well as chess luminaries including former world champion Garry Kasparov and grandmasters Nigel Short, Carla Heredia, and Jen Shahade. The English and Danish chess federations also opposed the decision to schedule the tournament in Iran.

http://www.thetower.org/5494-female-...oins-u-s-team/

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017...b-switches-us/

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

In a recent Montreal tournament, a player of Iranian origin did not play against one of Israeli origin. I think he wanted to play, but his mother intervened. The TD told me the player wasn't feeling well, but I heard a different story from players who were near the board.

Is Derakshani living in the US?

[Kerry Liles]

Re: Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

In a recent Montreal tournament, a player of Iranian origin did not play against one of Israeli origin. I think he wanted to play, but his mother intervened. The TD told me the player wasn't feeling well, but I heard a different story from players who were near the board.

Is Derakshani living in the US?

It seems the incident you refer to must have been in a junior tournament/match? That is depressing. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it occurs in Canada, but I am.

[Hugh Brodie]

Re: Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

Kerry wrote:

It seems the incident you refer to must have been in a junior tournament/match? That is depressing. I guess I shouldn't be surprised that it occurs in Canada, but I am.

It was in an open tournament (adults and kids). The crosstable only shows a +0 and -0 between the two players. They were both juniors.

[Victor Plotkin]

Re: BDS is indeed thinly disguised antisemitism.

I played with Dorsa Derakhshani in Gibraltar Open -2017 this February. Honestly, I was surprised: Europian stile of clothes, handshake before and after the game. Not usual for a young women from Iran.

Her rating was around 2350. The game was a draw, I missed a very good chances to win.

Later I saw her playing in Reykjavik. She beat Mark P. in this event. Looks like a young German GM Alex Donchenko is her boyfriend.

About boycott. I remember, more than 10 years ago, on Aeroflot Open, organizers put a restriction onto pairing system to avoid a game between players fron Israel and Iran.

It's a current trend for USCF to get strong players from other federations. GM Moradiabadi is another player from Iran who plays for USA now.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

Kerry wrote:



It was in an open tournament (adults and kids). The crosstable only shows a +0 and -0 between the two players. They were both juniors.

Thanks for the info. It doesn't really matter because the parents are obviously teaching their kids their own prejudices.
In related news, this thread has been hijacked into some sort of ranting about antisemitism etc. I'm out.

[Nigel Hanrahan]

thread censorship

If Borna Derakhshani has in fact been disciplined by the Iranian Chess Federation for playing a tournament game against an Israeli grandmaster, then it is time for Iran's membership in FIDE to be suspended.

I wrote a well-reasoned reply to Dan's and Wayne's (later) remarks but I see that this thread has been edited. All my posts [and Sid Belzberg's incendiary and actionable replies] have been deleted.

With no explanation.

When truth is replaced by silence, then the silence is a lie.

[Kerry Liles]

Re: thread censorship

I wrote a well-reasoned reply to Dan's and Wayne's (later) remarks but I see that this thread has been edited. All my posts [and Sid Belzberg's incendiary and actionable replies] have been deleted.

With no explanation.

This is ChessTalk and such things happen - mostly without explanation. I had a similar experience and no (public) statement was ever made.
I refrained from revealing what *I* was told in that instance because there would have been nothing good to come out of it,
but the not so subtle censorship on this board is basically unknown until it happens. There are no guidelines - just reaction.

[Wayne Komer]

Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

Borna and Dorsa Derakhshani

October 10, 2017

An Iranian teenage chess player banned by the authorities in his homeland for playing an Israeli has been accepted to play under the English flag.

Borna Derakhshani, 15, will now be able to play in international events after making a personal appeal to the English Chess Federation.

His acceptance comes after his older sister, Dorsa, who was banned by Iran for attending an international competition without wearing an Islamic headscarf, became affiliated to the US Chess Federation.

Borna, who started at CATS College in Canterbury a couple of months ago, got in touch with Dominic Lawson, the president of the English Chess Federation, last month asking if he could join.

“He sent me an email saying that he wanted to play under the English flag, ” Mr Lawson said. “As far as I am concerned it is not a matter of politics but of standing up for chess players put in a most invidious position — effectively being banned from international events for doing nothing contrary to fair play or morality. ”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/b...land-tc30dmtcb

(this link may be behind a pay-wall)