Uzbek GM Greets Harika With Namaste Instead of Handshake at Grenke Open
It was a small gesture. It went a long way.
At the Grenke Freestyle Chess Open in Germany, India’s Harika Dronavalli extended her hand to resign her game against Uzbekistan’s GM Nodirbek Yakubboev. Instead of taking the handshake, Yakubboev pressed his palms together and offered a Namaste.
Both players left the board smiling. The clip went viral almost immediately, drawing warm reactions across social media for the cross-cultural moment of respect.
Harika, a three-time World Championship bronze medallist, has since spoken about the gesture — calling it unexpected and touching