Picture Credit: X

Picture Credit: X

Uzbekistan’s Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev trigged a massive controversy during the Tata Steel Chess Tournament. However, soon after the Uzbek GM refused to shake hands with the Indian GM, videos of the incident went viral on social media. While the incident garnered several criticism for the Uzbek GM, with several reminding of his match against Indian chess star Divya Deshmukh in 2023, where he went for a handshake.

As the controversy spiralled, Nodirbek Yakubboev decided to clarify the story behind this move, while writing an apology for the Indian GM and R Praggnanandhaa’s sister. "Dear chess friends, I want to explain the situation that occurred in my 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," Yakubboev wrote on X.

uzbek gm yakubboev apology

GM Nodirbek Yakubboev issues clarification after viral incident involving GM Vaishali

While he cited “religious reasons” to snub a hand shake, he continued, "I respect Vaishali and her brother as two of the strongest chess players in India. If my behaviour has offended her, I sincerely apologise. I would like to provide some additional clarifications: Chess is not haram."

The Uzbek GM further addressed the discrepancy which involved a handshake with Divya Deshmukh in 2023, adding, "What I did before (referring to the game with Divya in 2023 and similar instances) I now consider to have been wrong for me. I act according to my personal beliefs. However, I do not insist that others refrain from shaking hands with the opposite gender, nor do I expect women to wear a hijab or burqa. It is entirely their choice."

Watch the video of 23-year-old refusal to shake hands with GM Vaishali:

"Today, I discussed this matter with Irina Bulmaga, and she agreed to it. However, when I arrived at the playing hall, the arbiters informed me that I should at least greet my opponent with a Namaste. In my games against Divya and Vaishali, I was unable to communicate this beforehand, which led to an awkward situation," he concluded, adding that he prevented a similar situation with Romania’s Irina Bulmaga.

It is to be noted that the Uzbek lost the match against Vaishali, but went on to win over the Romanian in the eighth round. With a win over Irina Bulmaga, Yakubboev is currently at four points in the Challengers’ section.