Uzbek GM Yakubboev’s handshake alternative? A ‘namaste’ for India’s Divya Deshmukh

Uzbek GM Yakubboev’s handshake alternative? A ‘namaste’ for India’s Divya Deshmukh

Uzbek GM Nodirbek Yakubboev greeted India’s Divya Deshmukh with ‘Namaste’ before their third-round game in the Challengers section of the Prague Chess tournament on Friday, a little over a month after controversially refusing to shake hands with GM R. Vaishali at Tata Steel Chess.

Yakubboev arrived for their match — which he won — moments after Divya and greeted her by folding his hands together, according to a video shared online by ‘ChessBase India.’

In January, the 23-year-old Yakubboev was supposed to face Vaishali in the fourth round in the Challengers section of the event in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands. When the Indian offered a handshake before the game, the Uzbek player refused.

Later, he apologised for his actions and explained that he refused to shake hands with Vaishali for religious reasons. “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,” he wrote in a lengthy post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).

He also met Vaishali, accompanied by her younger brother, GM R Praggnanandhaa, and their mother, Nagalakshmi, on the sidelines of the tournament and offered her flowers, chocolates, and a personal apology.

Vaishali accepted his apology and reassured him that she did not want him to feel bad about the incident.

Published on Mar 01, 2025