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Sara Khadem (Tehran, 1997) is a young woman of her time, happy and smiling, but also strong and rebellious with a cause. After a protest his passport was withdrawn and he thought that his career "was finished", despite the fact that he had won the U12 and U16 World Chess Championships. The fame of Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, her full name, skyrocketed last December, when she refused to play the World Rapid Chess Championship in Kazakhstan with a veil. The Iranian Government soon ordered his arrest.

That risky move forced her to leave Iran along with her one-year-old son and her husband, film director Ardeshir Ahmadi, who already knew what his country's prisons are like inside. "He had a much worse time," says Sara, who does not rule out that her life inspires a movie, although she does not dare to venture who could be the leading actress.

Sara Khadem knows several Spanish cities and has settled in a secret place in Andalusia. The first tournament of his new life has been the VI Festival Salamanca Cradle of Modern Chess, a demanding competition with a unique format, since four women and four men participate, including three world champions, the Bulgarian Veselin Topalov and the Ukrainians Anna Ushenina and Vasily Ivanchuk.

"Everyone is very good here. My expectation was just to try to get back in shape, because it's my first tournament after some time. I try to enjoy and I am happy with this original format, although maybe not with my results, "says Khadem at the same table where he has just made tables.

He is ranked 14th in the world, at the age of 26. Do you aspire to be world champion? Before Covid I was doing very well and planned to travel all over the world to play. Then the pandemic hit, my son was born and I couldn't play for a few months. Now I'm trying to regain my motivation. Being a professional chess player requires a lot of dedication, but yes, my goal is to reach the top. She does not consider herself an activist, but she is aware of her public relevance and the opportunity that this entails. As an athlete I have a certain responsibility. Activists dedicate their entire lives to a cause. I spend most of my time playing chess and with my son. I know there are other people who do a lot more, but I worry about what happens. I have heard him say several times that he is a lazy person. I find it incredible, with those achievements. Well, it's true. I know I should practice chess every day and I don't get it. It's a balance. I don't work as much as I should, so I consider myself a bit lazy.Why do such good players suddenly emerge in Iran? The first was Alireza Firouzja (current world number 4, aged 19). He never received the support he deserved. I remember that when I was very young I kept posting photos of him to complain to the authorities. He has great talent and they should have cared more about him. No one listened to me and he went to France. They lost someone very valuable. When they tried to get it back, of course, it was too late. He also had problems because in Iran they don't let you compete against Israeli players. Yes and no. Actually, it caused me more trouble to protest against the Iranian missile that shot down a Ukrainian plane in 2020, in which 176 people died. Then I received a warning call from the secret services. It is usual for them to call people I know, but for me it was the first time. I discovered the responsibility I had. To what extent did you think about the repercussions of not wearing the veil? I don't know if you know Elnaz Rekabi, a climber who competed without the veil and then was able to return to Iran, although she was later not allowed to come to Spain to train before the Games. I thought I might not be able to return immediately, but after some time. And it didn't. No, because later they said it wasn't just about the veil. It became more political. Are you optimistic about the future of your country? It's a tough question. We've made a lot of progress, but I don't know if we'll see big changes. I am optimistic if we talk about getting some rights. Every day we see more girls without veils on the street and I don't think the government can control it, because it's going to get more. They can't stop everybody. Her husband was also in jail. Who has had it worse of the two? For him it was much worse and he was also younger. He lived in Canada and was detained by intelligence services after returning to Iran. There we have a law by which you can be temporarily detained. The secret services first arrest you and then look for evidence to prove them right. If they don't find any, they may release you, but it's not safe either. There are many people who have been in jail for two or three years and have nothing against them. In my husband's case, his parents didn't know for ten days where he was, and it was jail. Alireza Firouzja chose France and referee Shohreh Bayat, a similar case, resides in the United Kingdom. Why escoSpain? I always loved Spain. He used to come to play tournaments. We also had the option to go to Canada, because my husband was from there. He and my son have Canadian passports, but it's too far away. I play chess and Europe is better. Spain is a great country, good for chess, and we love the people. Worried about your safety in Salamanca these days? It's no secret that he's here playing. I don't want to think about that, because then I wouldn't be able to leave the house. I don't think it's a problem. In Spain we feel very safe. He once said that the Iranian government can persecute him in other countries. It is true that they have done it before, but I do not think they can in a country like Spain. It is easier in Turkey and other neighbouring countries, with which they have very good relations. Khosro Harandi (1950-2019), Iran's first international master, was its first coach. Did they ever talk about the years of the chess ban that was imposed after the Islamic revolution of 1979? Yes. In fact, he was very good before the revolution and I think his talent was wasted by the travel ban, because he was among the best players in Asia. He couldn't achieve his goals, but then he helped a lot to coach the national team. It seems impossible to me. I've played all my lifeShe's a young, modern girl. I think his parents already were, but I don't know if that's a common occurrence in Iran. My parents are young and open-minded. It's lucky. My father studied and lived in Germany for about a decade. That changed his thinking. And my mother is very young. It takes the same years as I take my son. We are very close to each other. I don't consider her from an older generation. In his Instagram profile he defines himself like this: "Wife. Mother. Professional chess player". Is order important? Not really. To be honest, my husband supports me in almost everything and I thought it would be fair to put him first. I wouldn't want him to be a chess player. I think it would be too much pressure for him. Anyway, let it be what he wants.

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