Dorsa Derakhshani
Title:
International Master
Federation:
Saint Louis, MO, U.S.
Age:
19
Status:
Accepted
Chess Highlights:
As a teenager IM Derakhshani placed first in 2012, 2013 and 2014 at the Asian Youth Chess Championships. In 2017, Derakhshani accepted a scholarship to play for the Saint Louis University Chess Team. Together with her six team members, she helped secure a third place victory at the 2017 Presidential Cup.
Bio:
IM Derakhshani officially changed her federation from Iran to the United States in 2017 after a controversy arose about her refusal to wear a hijab while she played for the Iranian national team under the Iranian Chess Federation. Derakhshani was a loyal member of the team; however she claimed that “they cared more about the scarf covering my hair than the brain under it.” Currently, Derakhshani is a student at Saint Louis University where she studies biology, and is an accredited journalist for FIDE. At the age of 19, she is certainly a force to be reckoned with.