Uzbek chess player brings R Vaishali flowers, apologises for handshake snub

Uzbekistan Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev tendered an in-person apology to India’s R Vaishali on Thursday, January 30, days after refusing to shake hands with her during the Tata Steel Chess tournament. The Uzbek chess player brought her flowers and chocolates and apologised to her in front of her mother and brother, R Praggnanandhaa.

Yakubboev’s gesture came days after a video of him snubbing Vaishali went viral on social media. The incident occurred during the Round 4 encounter between Yakubboev and Vaishali and was shared by ChessBase India. In the widely circulated clip, Vaishali could be seen extending her hand for the customary pre-match handshake; however, Yakubboev declined the gesture and proceeded to adjust his pieces on the board.

The Indian Grandmaster appeared taken aback by his response.

On Thursday, Yakubboev explained that he was in a hurry that day and that he respected all the Indian chess players.

“It was an awful situation for both of us. I was in hurry that day. It is a misunderstanding, I am sorry. I want to wish good luck to you and your brother. I respect you and your brother and all Indian chess players. Thank you for understand, good bye and all the best,” Yakubboev can be seen in the video of shared by ChessBase India.

Indian GM Vaishali also accepted his apology stating that she understood why he reacted like that. “It is understandable, I did not think of the reasons (then),” she said.

Earlier, after he had received a huge backlash on social media, Yakubboev had offered an apology via his official social media account. The Uzbek GM had taken to social media on January 26 and explained the reason behind the incidents.

“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.

“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.

“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.

“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 added.