‘Didn’t affect me in any way… I respect his views’
R Vaishali found herself in the middle of an internet-driven storm 10 days back when suddenly social media started to outrage about her opponent Nodirbek Yakubboev’s decision to not shake her hand before their round 4 game at the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee. A video that went viral showed Vaishali’s awkwardness as Yakubboev excused himself when she extended her hand for a customary pre-game handshake. Yakubboev later explained that he had not shook hands with Vaishali because of his religious beliefs. The Uzbek GM even met Vaishali and her brother Praggnanandhaa with flowers and chocolate to apologise for the needless controversy. He also extended the gesture to IM Divya Deshmukh.
While there was a lot of anger in India directed at the Uzbek grandmaster, Vaishali reveals that when the incident happened she initially thought maybe Yakubboev was sick. The pre-game handshake is one of the oldest customs in the sport.
“The handshake is part of the game, but I also respect his views and decisions. I know him, it’s not like he is a new person in the chess world. I’ve known him for many years and have spoken to him. He is a very nice person. So this refusal of handshake, it did not occur to me that he is disrespecting me or something. It didn’t even occur to me. I thought maybe he was sick or something. Because in COVID, we had no handshakes. I thought maybe there was some reason,” Vaishali tells The Indian Express.
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Vaishali in fact beat Yakubboev in the round 4 game. And it was almost a week later that the world got wind of the incident and social media saw plenty of anger against the Uzbek player. She reveals that even before Yakubboev met with her and Pragg to apologise personally, he had texted her to explain his actions.
Vaishali Rameshbabu (right) and Uzbekan grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev during their match in Tata Steel Chess Tournament. (Screengrab)
“That incident did not affect me. I didn’t bother about it. Once the game started, I focussed on the game. There is nothing else to think about. This happened in the 4th game. Very much later in the tournament, everything blew up. I didn’t even know what was happening on social media. Only later I got to know. It was a strong tournament. I was just focused on the tournament and the game,” says Vaishali.
Vaishali on Norway Chess
The World No 18 among women will be seen in the Norway Chess later this year which has a strong elite women’s field including Ju Wenjun (World No. 2), Lei Tingjie (No. 4), Humpy Koneru (No. 6), Anna Muzychuk (No. 8) and Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (No. 21).
Having played at the event last year, Vaishali has been invited again to Stavanger as a recognition of her rising stature on the board. Besides Vaishali and Humpy, Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi will be competing in the open section at Norway Chess. Story continues below this ad
The unique format of Norway Chess means that if a classical game ends in a draw, both players have to play an Armageddon match to decide the winner.
“I think last year, at some point, I didn’t give importance to my energy levels. We are also playing long classical games and then Armageddon games if needed. You have to be ready before the games. At least you should be clear about what openings you want to play in the next games. Towards the end, I was not up to my energy level. That is something I will try to fix this time and also to show some consency in my games,” Vaishali said.
Amit Kamath is Assant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. … Read More
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