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Iranian Chess player Sara Khadem, also known as Sarasadat Khademalsharieh, recently took part in a tournament without wearing a hijab.

Since the start of anti-government protests in September, Khadem is the most recent athlete to compete without a hijab.

The protests in Iran were triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the police force.

According to reports in the local media, Khadem was photographed competing in the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan, without wearing the headscarf, which is required by Iranian law.

According to the International Chess Federation, the chess player was born in 1997 and is currently ranked number 10 in Iran among active players worldwide (804th overall).

Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi competed in South Korea earlier in October without wearing the required hijab, later explaining that it had fallen off inadvertently. It's not clear, though, whether Rekabi was coerced into saying what she did.

Iran has suspended its so-called morality police, which penalised women for not adhering to a stringent dress code, the Iranian prosecutor general said after the anti-hijab protest continued into the third month, triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini after she was detained by the police force.

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Notably, Amini was arrested in Tehran on September 13 for dressing "inappropriately." Three days later, she died while in custody. It sparked demonstrations and clashes with security forces where many people lost their lives.