We recently discussed the scandal in Iran where a young girl was barred from an international competition for failing to adhere to Islamic rules requiring the covering of a girl’s hair. We now have another outrageous decision barring a girl under medieval Islamic principles. The head judge (and director) of the competition in Putrajaya, Malaysia forced a female competitor to withdraw after declaring her knee length skirt be “seductive.” Pretty sensitive for a sport with such term as
“exposed King”, “loose position,” and “flash the Queen.”
The girl simply wanted to complete in the National Scholastic Chess Championship but, as explained by her coach, “the Tournament Director deemed my student’s dress to be ‘seductive’ and a ‘temptation from a certain angle far, far away.'”
The judge reportedly apologized after the public backlash but the girl was still prevented from competing. The World Chess Federation (FIDE) Laws of Chess’ dress code only requires participants in tournaments to have a “dignified appearance.”
This was the “seductive outfit”:
Given the Iranian and Malaysian incidents, there remains a serious question of whether chess competitions should be held in countries where girls and women are subjected to such discriminatory laws.