Uzbek chess player explains why he didn't shake hands with Indian female opponent

Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubbaev has been the center of discussion on social media after his decision not to shake hands with Indian chess player Rameshbabu Vaishali at the Tata Steel Chess tournament. He explained his decision with "religious reasons."

Before the fourth round, Vaishali reached out, but Yakubbaev sat down on a chair without responding. This surprised the Indian chess player and caused mixed reactions on social media.

Yakubbaev later apologized and explained his behavior.

"I respect Vaishali and her brother. However, I do not touch other women due to religious reasons. If this has hurt her, I apologize," he said.

In his statement on page X, Yakubbaev admitted that he had allowed such situations in previous tournaments and said that he now considers such decisions to be wrong. He believes that everyone makes their own decisions and should not impose obligations on others.

Yakubbaev said he agreed to make the "namaste" gesture to his opponents at the referees' request, but noted that in some matches he did not have time to explain this in advance.

Tata Steel Chess 2025, held in Wijk aan Zee, is one of the world's oldest and most prestigious chess tournaments, and is now in its 87th year. Yakubbaev is competing in the Challengers division and is currently in 10th place with 4 points.