Dorsa Derakhshani, Iranian Chess Master, Switches To US Team Over Headscarf Rule

An Iranian chess player who was removed from the national chess team for allegedly attending an international competition without wearing the Islamic headscarf has joined the United States chess team, reports said Monday.

Dorsa Derakhshani, 19, was removed from the Iranian national chess team after she wore a headband instead of a headscarf at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival held in the British territory in February, the New York Post reported, citing an Iranian news agency. Derakhshani had finished 118th out of 225 in the Gibraltar event.