Mitra Hejazipour

Shahmat group

Woman Chess Grandmaster

Biography

Mitra Hejazipour is a French-Iranian chess champion, Woman Grandmaster, author and speaker. Born in Mashhad, Iran, she stood out early as one of the leading talents of her generation. Twice runner-up at the World Under-10 Girls’ Championship (2002 and 2003), she went on to build an international career at the highest level. In 2015, she became Asian women’s champion and earned the Woman Grandmaster title. In December 2019, while representing Iran at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships in Moscow, she chose to compete without the hijab required of Iranian women athletes. Her stand for women’s freedom led to her expulsion from the national team and left her unable to return to Iran. It marked a turning point in her life and career. She became a French citizen in March 2023 and went on to win both the French women’s blitz and classical titles later that year. Representing France, she helped secure bronze medals at the World and European Team Championships, the best results for the French women’s team in more than twenty years. She was also awarded the Medal of Honour of the French National Assembly. In 2024, she received the Prix de la Liberté (Freedom Prize) from L’Express. Her memoir, La Joueuse d’échecs (Albin Michel, 2026), received critical acclaim and won the 2026 Prix Hervé Bazin. The book traces her childhood, her chess career and the choice that led her to France. Alongside her chess career, she works with companies and institutions. Drawing on her experience of elite chess, she explores the art of decision-making, strategy under uncertainty and the challenges of women’s leadership. A software engineer by training, she also brings a distinctive perspective on how AI is transforming organisations and human decision-making.