A female chess champion from Iran has joined the United States Chess Federation, months after learning that she was officially barred from playing for her homeland because she refused to wear a head scarf.

Officials at the United States Chess Federation, the official governing body for chess players in the United States, said on Tuesday that Dorsa Derakhshani, 19, a grandmaster champion who grew up in Tehran, would compete under its oversight after she officially joined in September.

The designation was recorded on the website of the Fédération Internationale des Échecs, or World Chess Federation. The American branch represents the United States in the world federation.

“Iran wasn’t letting her play in certain tournaments that she needs federation approval to play in, such as world champion cycles or world juniors,” Alejandro Ramirez, her team coach at St. Louis University, which she now attends, said on Tuesday. “Of course, America is not going to have a problem with that.”