Sara Khadem photographed at Kazakhstan championship without compulsory head covering, joining other female Iranian athletes who have competed bareheaded in defiance of regime

International officials see contest as drawing board for chess development in Jerusalem, hailed in opening ceremony as 'capital of the world'; but plan needs government funding

Part of World Championship cycle to begin Wednesday with 16 of world's best players; ministry refuses funding to make event in Israel a long-term project, citing political impasse

Igor Rausis, 58, had raised suspicions by making an unlikely rise in rankings at an advanced age