Who is chess player Nodirbek Yakubboev, who refused handshake with Vaishali Rameshbabu, bio, age, wife, religion and FIDE rating

Who is chess player Nodirbek Yakubboev, who refused handshake with Vaishali Rameshbabu, bio, age, wife, religion and FIDE rating

Nodirbek Yakubboev, a Muslim by religion is an Uzbeki chess player who recently went viral after refusing to shake hands with Vaishali Rameshbabu, find out more below

The incident took place before their match at the ongoing Tata Steel chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.

Who is chess player Nodirbek Yakubboev, who refused handshake with Vaishali Rameshbabu, bio, age, wife, religion, nationality and FIDE rating

Notably, Indian chess GM Vaishali Rameshbabu ended up beating Nodirbek during the same game.

Nodirbek Yakubboev refuses to shake hands

Uzbek Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev recently made headlines after refusing to shake hands with Indian GM R. Vaishali. The incident took place ahead of their fourth-round match in the ongoing Tata Steel chess tournament. After receiving major backlash, Nodirbek came out to explain why he refuted to shake hands. He also clarified that he didn’t consider chess or haram and didn’t believe anyone should women to wear burqas, claiming it was their own preference.

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Nodirbek cited his religious beliefs behind his action, stating on X:

Dear chess friends, 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 further added:

I respect Vaishali and her brother as the strongest chess players in India. If I have offended her with my behavior, I apologize.”

Nodirbek Yakubboev bio

Nodirbek Yakubboev is an Uzbekistani Muslim chess player who was born on January 23, 2002, and he is currently 23-years-old. He achieved the title of Grandmaster back in 2019. Nodirbek has an older sister named Nilufar Yakubbaeva, who won the Women’s section of the Uzbekistani Chess Championship multiple times.

While details about his relationship status aren’t known, he is believed to be single and unmarried.

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Ratings and rankings

Nodirbek Yakubboev has a FIDE rating of 2659 and a peak rating of 2668. Meanwhile, he has a ranking of No. 67 as of January 2025, with a peak ranking of No. 60.

World Rank (Active):
67
Federation:
Uzbekistan
FIDE ID:
14203987
B-Year:
2002
Sex:
Male
FIDE title:
Grandmaster
Rating
std 2659
rapid 2541
blitz 2560

Career

Nodirbek Yakubboev has so far won the Uzbekistani Chess Championship three times throughout his career. He won the title back in 2016, 2018, and 2020. Back in 2022, Nodirbek won the gold medal at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai with the Uzbekistan team. He then won the Qatar Masters tournament in 2023 against fellow Uzbek Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Last year, Yakubboev won the UzChess Cup Masters ahead of Abdusattorov.

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