Similarly, in a country that insists on women being fully covered, female participants in the chess tournament are not entitled to dress the way they may want to. Saudi Arabia’s refusal to grant the Israelis visas demonstrated that an Israeli presence would have been a bridge too far. Literally everything involving Saudi Arabia’s hosting of a chess tournament is political. The very fact that Saudi Arabia is the host is political. Saudi Arabia’s visa policy is political as is the kingdom’s willingness to concede on women’s dress.

Source: Huffington Post December 26, 2017 04:52 UTC