Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev's decision to not shake hands with Indian GM R Vaishali ignited controversy at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament, the Uzbek GM later apologised, clarifying that he intended no disrespect and avoided the gesture due to "religious reasons."
In a video posted on social media by Khel India, Rameshbabu Vaishali is shown reaching out her hand before the fourth-round match against Yakubboev, who took a seat without acknowledging her gesture, making the Indian feel noticeably uncomfortable.
Yakubboev, 23, who achieved GM status in 2019, was defeated in the match and now has three points after eight rounds in the Challengers' division.
After the short video became viral, Yakubboev shared an extensive reply on 'X', stating that he holds great respect for Vaishali and her younger brother R. Praggnanandhaa, but he does not engage with other women for religious reasons.
After defeating the Uzbek player, Vaishali did not extend her hand. The Indian has four points after eight rounds, with five remaining.
Yakubboev mentioned that to prevent a similar scenario in the eighth-round match versus Romania's Irina Bulmaga, he communicated his religious beliefs to her beforehand.
Netizens React
Many people have condemned Yakubboev's behavior in social media comments, pointing out his handshakes with other female competitors and addressing the refusal to shake hands to be disrespectful towards Vaishali, whereas some defended him, implying it could stem from religious beliefs.
The post translates to: New scandal in the world of chess ♟ In the Tata Steel Chess Challengers tournament, the Uzbek player arrives late and refuses to shake the hand of the Indian player. Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB, 2659) faced Grandmaster R Vaishali (IND, 2476) in Round 4 of the Tata Steel Challengers 2025. Vaishali won the game brilliantly. This cannot be a political issue, regarding the context of the two opponents. But probably it is a disrespect towards Vaishali. It is really sad to witness such things and I would really like to see the consequences of this inappropriate act. Video Credit ChessBase India.
The post translates to: At Tata Steel Chess 2025, Nodirbek Yakubboev, an Uzbek chess grandmaster, refused to shake hands with Vaishali, an Indian grandmaster. 𝐘 - 𝐚𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 - 𝐢𝐥 𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚 ̀ 𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐞 ́ ? This cannot be a political issue, regarding the context of the two opponents. But probably it is a disrespect towards Vaishali. Does religion have an influence on sports? Yet he was seen shaking hands with other players earlier. If we refer to Muslim orthopraxy, Uzbek chess player Nodirbek is said to have refused to shake Vaishali's hand because it is forbidden (haram) but plays the game of chess which is also "haram". It is really sad to witness such things and I would really like to see the consequences of this inappropriate act. Vaishali won the game brilliantly. 𝐕𝐨𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐬 ? Video credit ChessBase India
