Chess champion boycott Saudi Arabia tournament over women's rights

Nisaa FM: - Ukrainian chess champion, 27-year-old Anna Muzychuk, is ready for both praise and blame for boycotting this week’s world speed chess championship in Saudi Arabia. Muzychuk won’t defend her titles because she doesn’t want to be treated like a “secondary creature”.

Muzychuk (seen at the photo on the right shaking hand with Chinese player Tan Zhongyi (left) at a championship in Iran) says that she made the decision knowing she would relinquish both her titles and earnings from taking part. Her younger sister Mariya, a former women’s world chess champion, would also stay away from Riyadh.

 “Exactly one year ago I won these two titles and was about the happiest person in the chess world but this time I feel really bad,” Muzychuk says. “I took this decision and I am responsible for it. I am ready to stand for my principles and skip the event, where in five days I was expected to earn more than I do in a dozen of events combined.”

In what the World Chess Federation (FIDE) called an historic agreement, Saudi Arabia relaxed its dress code for the tournament, which has a total prize pot of $2 million. This meant that women would not need to wear the hijab or abaya. Instead, inside the venue, women could wear dark formal trouser suits and high-necked white blouses.

But these changes did not go far enough for Muzychuk. “I have refused to go,” she says. “It was certainly quite difficult to take such a decision because I am a current world champion in these chess disciplines – rapid chess and blitz.”

Saudi Arabia ended a ban on women driving in September but the conservative kingdom’s male guardianship system requires women to have a male relative’s approval for decisions on issues like education, employment, marriage and travel plans.

More than 200 players from 70 countries are participating in the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships, which bear the name of King Salman bin Abdulaziz.

Source: www.theguardian.com