Sara Khadem is ranked 14th in the world, at the age of 26. 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. She does not consider herself an activist, but she is aware of her public relevance and the opportunity that this entails.