The winners were solemnly welcomed at the airport. At the event, Prime Minister Abdulla Aripov conveyed the greetings of the president to the chess players and presented awards.
A cash prize of 600 million soums, an Equinox car and the “O’zbekiston Iftixori” (Pride of Uzbekistan) medal were awarded to representatives of the men’s national team who won the championship – Jakhongir Vakhidov, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Nodirbek Yakubboev, Javokhir Sindarov and Shamsiddin Vakhidov.
The “Kelajak Iftixori” (Future Pride) medal was awarded to Nilufar Yakubboeva, Umida Omonova, Marjona Malikova, Maftuna Bobomurodova and Afruza Khamdamova, who took 31st place among 200 teams.
After that, the chess players shared their impressions in a conversation with the media. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who made a comeback in the match against the India-2 team and made a great contribution to the championship, stressed that the team will continue their hard work in the next tournaments as well: “On behalf of the team, I would like to thank our president and our people for their support. We felt your trust in every game. Our team became the champion among more than 180 countries without losing a single game. This is the first victory.
We have proven that we are not inferior to anyone. We will try our best to win the next tournaments as well.
The game with Gukesh (chess player of the Indian national team – ed.) was a battle “not for life, but for death.” If we had lost, we would have taken third place. Many did not believe in my victory. I did not weaken my will and took advantage of the opponent’s mistake,” he said.
Nodirbek Yakubboev, who did not lose a single match in the tournament, could not hide his joy from the solemn meeting: “We did not expect such an honor. We are in a great mood.
Hardest game ever? I would say that with India-2. They were a young team, just like us. In addition, they exerted pressure because they were the hosts.
The fact that the 2026 Chess Olympiad will be held in Uzbekistan means that at least two of our teams can take part, which means that other young people have the opportunity to shine.”
Jakhongir Vakhidov, the most experienced member of the team, said he was more excited talking to the president than in the decisive match: “I was more excited when I spoke to our president than in the decisive match. We were surprised that he called us in person. This is proof of the attention to chess.
Nilufar Yakubboeva, a representative of the women’s team, believes that the boys’ victory will motivate the girls in the following tournaments: “The boys performed very well. Against the background of other teams, they were distinguished by unity. They saved each other, every day had its own hero. This victory inspires us.”
It is noteworthy that Uzbekistan won the gold medal of the World Chess Olympiad for the first time in its history. The men’s team did not lose a single match in the whole tournament.
