It’s not very nice to change the country you represent: WGM Sara Khadem on leaving Iran for Spain

As Sarasadat Khademalsharieh sat down for our interview by the poolside at Trident Hotel on that pleasant morning in Mumbai, a gentle breeze made her dark hair flutter. She had earned that freedom — not to have her hair covered — at a heavy price. She lost her nationality.

Sara Khadem — she is better known these days by that shorter version of her name — no longer represents Iran in international chess tournaments. She plays for Spain. After competing in the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Kazakhstan in 2022 without wearing a headscarf — it was one of the boldest moves ever by a Woman Grandmaster — a warrant for her arrest was issued in Iran. She was given nationality by Spain, where she has been living for the last three years.

The first time Sara came to India, she had made headlines. She finished runner-up at the World Junior Championship in Pune in 2014. Four years later, she finished second at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships, performing much better than her seeding in both tournaments. Excerpts from the interview in Mumbai, where she played for PBG Alaskan Knights in the third edition of the Global Chess League:

How do you look back at that decision not to wear a headscarf for the World Rapid and Blitz Championships at Almaty? You must have been upset by the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in Iran.

I was. I think everyone in Iran was upset. Before that, I always had this sort of mixed feeling about this whole thing. But after it happened, many of my friends were going to protest in the street, which was very risky. That was the time I just had my son. And I was in Tehran with my husband and my son, who was very little, maybe six months old.

Many of my friends were part of the protest in their own ways. I felt they were taking really serious risks. When I got invited to this tournament in Kazakhstan, I didn’t want to go there just to make a move [on the board]. I told my husband, ‘If I go there, it doesn’t feel right if I go the same way, wearing the scarf, and I know that I have the chance not to wear it.’ But I didn’t want to go to the tournament to make a scene there.

Was that the first time you were not wearing a headscarf publicly?

Publicly, in an official event, yes, I suppose.

Now reports from Iran suggest that many women do not wear headscarves.

All the girls, they stopped doing that. And they [authorities] cannot control it any more. But the problem in Iran is not only the scarves. There are so many of them.

You are now playing for Spain. Alireza Firouzja, easily the greatest player Iran has ever produced and who Magnus Carlsen said he was keen to play a World title match against, is playing for France…

I was very disappointed when he decided to play for France, but not with his decision. I even remember I gave an interview which got me into lots of trouble at that time. Even when he was younger, when I was having some interviews, I would always say: ‘Let us not talk about myself, but talk about him because he is such a great talent’. Even when he was a kid, it was very obvious that he was going to be such a great player. Then, nobody really cared about him.

The first medal that he got at the Grand Prix was under the FIDE flag, because in that tournament, none of the Iranian players got permission to play. He was already living in France at that time. Then I also changed my federation. It’s not very nice to change the country you represent. Earlier, I thought maybe something would change. Then later I realised, nothing was going to change. I kept on saying that ‘If they don’t change, some other top players also could leave’.

Iran has produced so many quality players…

Iran is a big country with a really big history in chess; it is one of the countries that promoted chess to the other side of the world. When I started playing we already had good players, like Ehsan Ghaem-Maghami and Atousa Pourkashiyan. They were all doing well in Asian tournaments. When we get a really good player, the others also get motivated and they train a lot. And at some point, we had really good coaches. Our federation had more money earlier and the government was more supportive. So we had lots of players. And I think the outcome was this whole generation. But they stopped that.

You at one stage had a rating of close to 2500 Elo points.

At that time, I had some problems with the government. I had a travel ban, which was for six months. And Covid happened. Then I had my son, so four years just passed in a blink. And it affects you, you don’t play as much or professionally as before. Even now, I wouldn’t say it is the same as it was when I was 20. Yes, I want to play in more tournaments, but it is harder to manage, with family life and all. But I see many players are managing to do that.

How do you find the Global Chess League?

It is a very interesting event. I had played the first season as well in Dubai, where I was a reserve player. I came in the middle of the tournament, and I played for Triveni Continental Kings [which went on to win the tournament]. The team composition, especially having the junior players along with men and women, and the time control make it more fun to watch.

You have won the Spanish women’s championship. What is the state of women’s chess in Spain?

It is strong, we have a good team. We finished fourth at the last Olympiad; we tied for third place, in fact [USA claimed bronze with the best tie-breaker].

How do you find life in Spain?

The people are very welcoming. You know I really like Iran too, to be fair, but I would say with a little kid, I prefer living in Spain.

Do you speak Spanish now?

I understand quite a bit, but where I live, it is very touristy. So I think to learn Spanish, you need to put in some serious time. I am glad my son is picking up Spanish from school. Sometimes when he speaks, he says some Spanish words. The other day he told me, ‘Quita mama’. I asked one of my friends what those words meant, and she was laughing. What my son told me was: ‘Get lost mummy’.

Published – January 30, 2026 11:53 pm IST