Anna Muzychuk wearing her 2016 world championship medals. (Screenshot)

In protest of Saudi Arabia’s treatment of women, Anna Muzychuk refused to defend her world titles in both the Rapid chess and Blitz chess competitions, held Dec. 26-30, 2017 in the Arab state.

On Dec. 23, Muzychuk, a 27 year-old Ukrainian, posted on Facebook her decision to boycott this year’s competition – along with a photo of her wearing her two medals – saying she was willing to lose her two titles because she decided “Not to play by someone's rules, not to wear abaya, not to be accompanied getting outside, and altogether not to feel myself a secondary creature.”

On December 31, the day after the competition ended, she posted another message on her Facebook page, declaring that, while she didn’t put up a fight to defend her titles, she was continuing to fight for women’s rights – and that words without action are futile:

“And here go my World Champion titles. I lost them, surrendering without the fight. Well, not quite. The fight is ever going. It is a fight for being myself. For my principles. For the dignity of the women and for the responsibility of the top chess player. It is costly. But it is only deeds that count. Not just futile words and declarations.”

Muzychuk boycotted the event even though the World Chess Federation (FIDE) announced in November that "There will be no need to wear a hijab or abaya during the games, this will be a first for any sporting event in Saudi Arabia."

Still, Muzychuk says, she looks forward to returning to competition in 2018, when the chess championships are held in a more female-friendly environment: