Germany's First And Only Female GM Supports Vaishali Over Handshake Controversy

On January 26, Uzbekistan's Grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev stirred controversy online after he declined to shake hands (which is reportedly customary for chess players) with India’s R Vaishali before their fourth-round match in the Challengers section of the Tata Steel Chess tournament in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.  A video shared on social media shows Vaishali extending her hand before the start of her fourth-round match against Yakubboev, who ignored the gesture and sat down, leaving the Indian player visibly uncomfortable. This incident sparked talks of sexism amongst netizens and chess players.

23-year-old Vaishali and her 19-year-old brother Praggnanandhaa are chess history's first sibling duo to earn grandmaster titles.

 Why Nodirbek Yakubboev didn't

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.#chess #fide #islam@ChessbaseIndia @Uzchesss

— Nodirbek Yakubboev (@NodirbekYakubb1) January 26, 2025

Taking to X, Nodirbek explained that his actions were due to his religion (Islam). “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, however, added that he had the utmost respect for Vaishali and R Praggnanandhaa. “I respect Vaishali and her brother as the strongest chess players in India. If I have offended her with my behaviour, I apologize. I have some additional explanations: 1. Chess is not haram.”

"Today I told Irina Bulmaga about it. She agreed to it. But when I came to the playing hall, the arbiters told me that I should at least do Namaste as a gesture. In the games with Divya and Vaishali I couldn’t tell them about it before the game and there was an awkward situation,” he concluded. 

When fans pointed out that he shook Divya Deshmukh’s hand in 2023, he responded that it was his fault. But in truth, he was also paired with Divya at the ongoing tournament and fist-bumped her instead of the customary handshake.

Elisabeth Pahtz defends Vaishali Rameshbabu

Nodirbek’s behaviour wasn’t well-received by Germany’s only female grandmaster Elisabeth Pahtz. Taking to X, she wrote, “I blame him for his “hand gesture of refusal” which made the whole thing so much worse.”

Well yes, then just put a sign like this 🙏 or a nodding of your head and that’s it. His gesture was a gesture of “refusal” and “disrespect”. I am sure it must have been very irritating for Vaishali, mentioning here - she is a young and pure honest soul.

— ElliPaehtz (@ElliPaehtz) January 26, 2025

The 23-year-old lost the match against Vashali, who did not offer a handshake after beating the Uzbek player. The Uzbek, however, won against Bulmaga in the eighth round and is currently on four points after eight rounds in the Challengers' section. Vaishali, on the other hand, is in sixth with 4.5 points after a draw with Dutch player Arthur Pijpers in the eighth rounds.