One of history's greatest chess stars, Garry Kasparov, is in the news for speaking out against Iran's human rights violations against everyday citizens in Iran, but he could have spoken of the violations against the acclaimed chess players from that country.
A country that continues to surge on the international chess scene.
"For all the foreign interference, terror, and war caused by the illegitimate Iranian regime, it is vital to remember that no one suffers more than the citizens of that regime," Kasparov said.
Since retiring from chess, Kasparov has devoted his life to campaigning against international human rights violations. He is chairman of the New York-based Human Rights Foundation.
The chess federation in Iran is currently broiled in the midst of a confrontation with the International Chess Federation (FIDE) as Iran refuses to let its players compete against Israeli players and FIDE demands that they be allowed to play the Israelis.
Tehran-born Grandmaster Elshan Moradiabadi is among those leading the charge in a chess player revolt against the Iranian government. "Chess without politics," he demands. In November, Moradiabadi called on Iranian chess players to quit playing under the Iranian flag, and instead compete under a neutral flag being offered by FIDE. FIDE suggests that if Iran does not drop its stance against playing the Israelis, more players might bolt.
In a nation that short decades ago could boast not a single grandmaster born in that country, Moradiabadi is now one of many. The now 36-year-old Moradiabadi earned his distinction of grandmaster in 2005. It was that same year that Moradiabi, fearing retribution from his country, refused to play an Israeli player. Eventually, though (years later), he left Iran. He began representing the U.S. in 2017, five years after moving to the U.S. He is now a FIDE instructor, teacher and blogger living in Durham, North Carolina. His list of achievements includes participating in the 2011 Chess World Cup.
Though a star, Moradiabadi is not the greatest chess player from Iran. That distinction belongs to Alireza Firouzja, who has risen to become the 13th-highest rated player in the world. Firouzja, only 18 years old, had his rating rise to 2806 as of June. He became the second youngest player in history to reach a rating of 2700. He became a grandmaster in 2018 at the age of 14. In December 2019, he finished second to the world's greatest player, Magnus Carlsen, in the the World Rapid Chess Championship. That same month, Firouzja announced he would no longer play for Iran when Iran withdrew its players from a competition against Israeli players.
Moradiabadi and Firouzja are both in the FIDE World Cup now going on in Sochi, Russia. Only the greatest players in the world earn the right to play in that tournament. Firouzja, the 8th seed in the 206-person tournament, is currently finishing play in the second round. Moradiabadi, the 122nd seed, lost in the second round to one of the tournaments highest seeds, the 7th-seeded Maxine Vachier-Lagrave of France.
Other great Iranian-born players include Shojaat Ghane, 48, who has been a grandmaster since 2008, and Pouria Darini, 30, a grandmaster since 2013 and a participant in the 2013 Chess World Cup.
Atousa Pourkashiyan is also among the most-famous Iranian chess players. Pourkashiyan, now 33, won the World Youth Chess Championship in 2000 in the category for girls age 12 and under. She is a Woman Grandmaster (WGM), a title awarded to the world's best women chess players. Shadi Paridar, 35, is also a WGM.
Pouya Idani, 25, has been a grandmaster since 2014. He won the Under 18 World Chess Championship in 2013, and played in the World Chess Cup in 2015, being defeated in the first round by Azerbaijani's Shakhriyar Mamedyarov. Yes, that same Shakhriyar Mamedyarov who this past week humbled Kasparov in a mere seven moves as Kasparov made a return to chess play in the Croatia Rapid & Blitz.
Idani is in the top half of those in the 2021 World Cup, seeded at 85th out of 206. Of the Iranians, at this time he has advanced the furthest, having progressed to the third round while other Iranians are still in the second. To get there, he had to defeat the 172nd and 44th seeds. He now faces the 21st seed.
Parham Maghsoodloo, Amin Tabatabaei and Ehsan Ghaem Maghami are also among the contingent of Iranian players competing in the 2021 World Cup in Sochi, Russia. Maghsoodloo is a replacement in the tournament, taking the place of Lu Shanglei of China at the 28th seed due to China's Covid travel restrictions. Maghsoodloo received a first-round bye and is still finishing play in the second round. Tabatabaei, the 86th seed just behind Idani at 85, is also finishing play in the second round. Ghaem Maghami, the 130th seed, lost in the first round.
Maghsoodloo and Tabatabaei are among Iran's rising stars. Maghsoodloo, 21, the World Junior Chess Champion in 2018, achieving grandmaster status in 2016, and Tabatabaei, 20, having earned the grandmaster title just in 2018. Tabatabaei also participated in the last Cup, the 2019 World Cup (it is held every two years). As the 95th seed, he took out the 34th seed in the first round before falling in the second round to the 31st seed.
Of the three just mentioned, Ghaem Maghami, now 38 and a grandmaster since 2000, is one of the greatest players in Iranian history. He has won 45 international tournaments and in 2009 defeated Russian great and one-time world champion Anatoly Karpov in a 20-game match.
Iranian Morteza Mahjoub, 41, has been a grandmaster since 2007. He once held the world record for the number of simultaneous games, playing 397 opponents at once in 2009, play lasting 18 hours before it was complete. That record was broken the next year by an Israeli, no less, when Alik Gershon played 454 opponents at once. Iran's Ghaem Maghami came along the next year, 2011, and reclaimed for Iran the world record for simultaneous games, playing 604 opponents at once.
Amir Bagheri, 42, was one of the first Iranians to achieve the title of grandmaster, earning it in 2000. He qualified for the FIDE World Chess Championship but was knocked out in the first round in 2000.
Pouria Darini, 30, has been a grandmaster since 2013. He played in the 2013 World Cup.
Borna Derakhshani is among those embroiled in the dispute with the Iranian chess federation for playing Israeli players. Derakhshani, 19, winner of several international youth tournaments, was banned from Iranian youth team in 2017 for playing an Iranian grandmaster. After being banned, Derakhshani switched allegiance to the United Kingdom and won the British Youth Championship for those under 16.
Iran's rift with its chess players is not alone for playing Israelis. Shohreh Bayat made international news in 2020 when a picture of her showed her hijab being worn her neck, enraging Iranian officials who demanded she have a new picture taken with the head-covering being worn right. Bayat refused, and fled Iran, finding asylum in England, where she now is involved in chess under the English flag. Bayat, 34, is a chess referee, and was arbiter of the Women's World Chess Championship of 2020, which is where she was pictured wearing the hijab around her neck. For her courage in standing up to the Iranian government, and being a champion of women's rights, Bayat won the International Women of Courage Award this year.
Houshang Mashian, 82, once set the world record for playing in the world's longest-lasting decisive chess game, losing to Yedael Stepak in 1980 after a marathon 193 moves 24 hours and 30 minutes, making it also the longest in length of time. And where was Stepak from? Israel, of course.
Kamran Shirazi also ranks as one of Israel's greatest and most famous players -- and one of the first to bolt the country, moving to the United States in the late '70s, where he quickly became one of the most active players in the country, as well as earning a high rating. He tied for first in 1983 in the World Open, and tied for first in the 1985 National Open. Shirazi was known for his penchant of playing odd openings. In 1984, that got him in trouble, as he tried an unknown line in the Sicilian Defense and lost the shortest decisive game in U.S. history to John Peters in five moves. Shirazi has since moved from the U.S. to France. Shirazi's fame includes appearing in the 1993 movie, "Searching for Bobby Fischer."
(Note: Story updated July 16 to reflect how the Iranians are doing in the current FIDE World Cup.)
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