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Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev's refusal to shake hands with Indian GM R Vaishali stirred up a controversy at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament before the Uzbek apologised, saying that he meant no disrespect and didn't respond to the gesture because of "religious reasons". In a video that went viral on social media earlier, Vaishali, who is the sister of R Praggnanandhaa, can be seen extending her hand before the start of a fourth-round contest against Yakubboev, who sat down without responding to it, leaving the Indian visibly awkward.
Once the short video went viral, Yakubboev posted a lengthy response on 'X' saying, he had all the respect for Vaishali and her younger brother Praggnanandhaa but he "does not touch other women due to religious reasons".
After this, the Uzbek GM met Vaishali personally to apologise to her again and gifted her flowers and chocolate. The video of the meeting has surfaced online.
"I'm sorry for what had happened? It was an awkward situation for both of us. I was hurrying that day. It looks like some misunderstanding. And I want to wish good luck for the remaining games to both of you. Just want to say. I respect you and your brother both. Both of you, and all the Indian chess players," said Yakubboev while apologising to Vaishali and her brother R Praggnanandhaa in a video shared by ChessBase India.
Meanwhile, Vaishali said, "No, it's clearly understandable. I didn't take it that way, so we didn't have to feel bad. You actually apologised. It's totally fine. You don't have to worry about it."
Uzbek GM Nodirbek Yakubboev met GM R. Vaishali and apologized to her. He did so by brining flowers and chocolate.
Full video: https://t.co/TEm7o4Bn3W pic.twitter.com/vnJV8NBdIj
— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) January 30, 2025
After the meeting, Yakubboev also said that he should have informed about his reasons to Vaishali and the arbiter in advance.
(With PTI Inputs)