A young Iranian chess player who refused to play against Israel “wore the medal of humanity and honor,” an Iranian TV reporter said.
On February 24, 2019, Iranian TV aired a report about chess prodigy Aryan Gholami’s meeting with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who praised him for refusing to play against an Israeli chess player at the Rilton Cup chess tournament that took place in Sweden.
In an interview, Gholami said that he gave up on the $10,000 prize rather than face an Israeli opponent.
Gholami “‘checked’ the dollar and ‘mated’ the oppression,” the Iranian reporter quipped.