New Delhi: Uzbekistan Grandmaster Nodribek Yakubboev sparked a controversy in the ongoing Tata Steel Chess tournament being held in Wijk Aan Zee, the Netherlands. The 23-year-old denied to shake hands with Indian Grandmaster R. Vaishali before their fourth round match in the Challengers’ section.
Vaishali eventually won the fourth round to accumulate four points after eight rounds. A video of the Uzbekistan chess player ignoring Vaishali’s attempt to shake hand, when he arrived to the table for their contest, has been circulating on social media platform X.
Nodribek issues apology
After the match, Nodribek issued clarification, citing religious reasons for not shaking hands with Vaishali. He also mentioned the case when he happened to shake hands with another Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh, admitting it was wrong of him to do that.
“Dear chess friends, I want to explain the situation that happened in the game with Vaishali. With all due respect to women and Indian chess players, I want to inform everyone that I do not touch other women for religious reasons,” the Uzbek GM wrote on his X handle.
Dear chess friends,
I want to explain the situation that happened in the game with Vaishali. With all due respect to women and Indian chess players, I want to inform everyone that I do not touch other women for religious reasons.#chess #fide #islam@ChessbaseIndia @Uzchesss— Nodirbek Yakubboev (@NodirbekYakubb1) January 26, 2025
He explained that he respected Vaishali and her brother R. Praggnanandhaa as India’s rising chess siblings, and further apologised for his actions.
“I respect Vaishali and her brother as the strongest chess players in India. If I have offended her with my behavior, I apologize,” he added.
Nodribek further explained that chess is not haram (forbidden according to Islamic law). He felt that he never got the opportunity to communicate with Vaishali about his side, which turned out to be awkward. He did inform Romanian chess player Irina Bulmaga about the religious reasons for not shaking hands, and the opponent understood the stance. The arbiters of the event asked Nodribek to offer a Namaste (fold both palms) to their opponent.
Uzbekistan’s Grandmaster Nodribek Yakubboev sparked controversy at the Tata Steel Chess tournament by refusing to shake hands with Indian GM R. Vaishali before their match. He later clarified on social media, citing religious reasons for not shaking hands with women. Other Sports Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
