3/11/2021 – The Iranian chess arbiter Shoreh Bayat is one of 21 recipients of the 2021 International Women of Courage Award, which has been awarded by the US State Department since 2007 to women who have worked for peace, justice, human rights, gender equality and women's empowerment. | Photo: US State Department

2/24/2020 – A subplot of the recent Women's World Championship in Shanghai and Vladivostok was the plight of accomplished arbiter Shohreh Bayat from Iran. She was the target of political and religiously-motivated media critiques in her home country when she was photographed, while working as the chief arbiter in Shanghai, wearing a loose-fitting hijab — too loose for conservative observers in the Islamic Republic. That led her to fear for her safety and forgo her return ticket home in favour of a detour to the U.K. In a tearful interview, she recently recounted her story for the BBC.