Sarasadat Khademalsharieh

Sarasadat Khadem al-sharieh (Persian: سارا سادات خادم‌الشریعه; born 10 March 1997),[1] also known as Sara Khadem (سارا خادم), is an Iranian-Spanish chess player who holds the titles of International Master (IM) and Woman Grandmaster (WGM).

Sarasadat Khadem al-Sharieh
Sarasadat Khademalsharieh at Grenke Chess Open 2017
Full nameSarasadat Khadem al-sharieh
Country Iran (until 2023)
 Spain (since 2023)
Born (1997-03-10) 10 March 1997
Tehran, Iran
TitleInternational Master (2015)
Woman Grandmaster (2013)
FIDE rating2476 (October 2023)
Peak rating2494 (January 2020)

Early life and background

Sarasadat Khademalsharieh was born on 10 March 1997 in Tehran. She liked various sports such as tennis and basketball growing up. After being introduced to chess by one of her classmates at eight years old, she had her parents put her in a chess class. Although her parents do not play chess, she has credited them with being very supportive of her career. She also credits one of her friends for introducing her to Khosro Harandi, an Iranian International Master (IM) and coach, as a pivotal step in furthering her career.[2][3][4] Later on as a teenager, she was coached by Robin van Kampen, a Dutch Grandmaster (GM).[5]

Chess career

Khademalsharieh won the Asian Under-12 Girls Championship in 2008,[6] the World Under-12 Girls Championship in 2009,[7] the Asian Under-16 Girls Blitz Championship in 2012,[8] and the World U16 Girls Blitz Championship in 2013.[9] In 2014, she finished runner-up in the World Junior Girls Championship.[10]

Khademalsharieh played for the Iranian team at the Women's Chess Olympiads of 2012, 2014 and 2016.[11] In January 2020, she announced her resignation from the national team,[12] though she came back to the team in May.[13]

She won the Iranian women's championship of 2015, held in January 2016.[14]

Khademalsharieh qualified for the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2015–16 as host city nominee after winning a qualifying match against Atousa Pourkashiyan in Tehran.[15] In the Grand Prix stage held in her home city, although being the lowest rated player in the field, she finished in second place[16] and achieved her first Grandmaster norm.[17]

She competed in the Women's World Chess Championship 2017, but was eliminated in the first round by Sopiko Guramishvili.

She was the runner up in both Women's World Rapid Chess Championship and Women's World Blitz Chess Championship 2018, held in Saint Petersburg.

Personal life

In September 2017, Khademalsharieh married Iranian internet show presenter and film director Ardeshir Ahmadi. Her husband also holds a Canadian passport.[3] They have one son together.[18][19]

Hijab protest

In December 2022, Khademalsharieh chose not to wear a hijab during the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships. Iranian women are required to wear a hijab in public, even while abroad, though many sportswomen were choosing not to amid ongoing protests against the Iranian government. After the tournaments, Khademalsharieh bought a house in Spain and planned to move there with her family.[18][20] In January 2023, she moved to southern Spain on a residence visa tied to her housing property. That month, Iran issued an arrest warrant against her.[21][22] In July 2023, she was granted Spanish citizenship, and transferred chess federations from Iran to Spain.[23][24]

References
  1. IM title application (PDF). FIDE.
  2. Olympiad Tromsø 2014 - A quick chat with Sarasadat Khademalsharieh. PowerPlayChess. 12 August 2014. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  3. "خادم‌الشریعه: مقایسه من با تختی درست نبود" [Khadim al-Sharia: My comparison with the throne was not correct Khadim al-Sharia: My comparison with the throne was not correct]. Khabar Online (in Persian). 1 December 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  4. "سارا سادات خادم الشریعه: در ایسلند همه آقایان را بردم و نایب قهرمان جهان شدم!" [Sara Sadat Khadem Sharia: I won all the gentlemen in Iceland and became the world runner-up!]. Women Sports (in Persian). 16 May 2015. Archived from the original on 9 July 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  5. Iran's no.1 Sara Khadem's Hollywood love story!. ChessBase India. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  6. Arash Akbarinia (2008-07-24)."Asian Youth Championship in Teheran". ChessBase.
  7. World Youth Chess Championship (U12G) Chess-Results
  8. Asian Youth Blitz Chess Championship 2012 Under 16 Girls Chess-Results
  9. WYCC U16 Girls Blitz Chess-Results
  10. Sagar Shah (20 October 2014). "Lu Shanglei, Goryachkina win World Juniors 2014". ChessBase. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
  11. Bartelski, Wojciech. "Women's Chess Olympiads: Sarasadat Khademalsharieh". OlimpBase. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  12. "Sara Khadem bids farewell to Iran chess national team". Tehran Times. 2020-01-12. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  13. "بازگشت آرامش به شطرنج با تغییر مدیریت/ ماه‌هاست تمرین جدی ندارم". Mehr News. 13 September 2020. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  14. "Iran Women Final Chess Championship 2015". Chess-Results.com.
  15. Qualification Match for FIDE Women GrandPrix 2015. Tournament report. FIDE
  16. L'Ami, Alina (2016-02-28). "Tehran WGP Final: Ju Wenjun is gold, Sara is silver". ChessBase. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  17. L'Ami, Alina (2016-02-22). "Dzagnidze stumbles, Zhao advances". ChessBase. Retrieved 17 April 2016.
  18. McClain, Dylan Loeb (30 December 2022). "After Competing Without a Hijab, a Top Iranian Chess Player Won't Return Home". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  19. "After playing without a hijab in a world championship, Iranian chess star defects to Spain". El Pais. 28 December 2022. Retrieved 4 January 2022.
  20. "Iranian chess player 'moving to Spain' after competing without headscarf". The Guardian. 2022-12-29. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  21. Rodriguez, Elena (15 February 2023). "Iranian chess player in exile has no regrets about removing hijab". Reuters.
  22. "Chess: On the day Sara Khadem met Spanish Prime Minister, an arrest warrant was issued against her in Iran". The Indian Express. 15 February 2023.
  23. Pinedo, Emma (26 July 2023). "Iranian chess player who removed hijab gets Spanish citizenship". Reuters.
  24. "Transfers in 2023". FIDE. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
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