"Deep down, everyone is thinking about a medal." Nafisa Muminova on the national team at the Chess Olympiad

"Deep down, everyone is thinking about a medal." Nafisa Muminova on the national team at the Chess Olympiad

The 46th Chess Olympiad starts on September 16 in Samarkand. As the host country, Uzbekistan will field several teams at once — three men's and three women's national teams.

The first women's team will be led by Nafisa Muminova, one of the country's most famous chess players, who represented Uzbekistan on the international stage for many years. Now she works with the national team no longer as a player, but as a captain.

A few days before the start of the Olympiad, "Gazeta" columnist Georgy Shvanov spoke with Nafisa Muminova about the team's preparation, the selection of the roster, young chess players, the development of women's chess, and the main principle of playing for a team.

— The training camp is taking place at a recreation area in Miraki, Kashkadarya region. The first women's national team is preparing here: Afruza Khamdamova, Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova, Nilufarkhon Imomkuzieva, Umida Omonova, and Guldona Karimova, as well as the coaching staff. This camp is the final preparation before the Olympiad.

The training camp for the second team is taking place in Tashkent, at the Holiday Inn hotel, and will last until September 13. The third national team will play a match-tournament before the Olympiad.

— Each team has its own program. When there are too many people, there are more distractions. Therefore, we decided that each national team would prepare separately: the first, second, and third teams have their own goals and objectives. Each five-player squad will perform as a single unit, and during the training camp, it is important for the girls to focus on each other.

As for the third team, we decided that they had less match practice, so they will play a match-tournament.

— Yes. Towards the end of the training camp, we will gradually reduce the workload and let the girls rest. You cannot stop training completely — it is important to stay in shape, to approach the Olympiad charged and full of energy. For this, we also have physical preparation coaches working with us.

— There is no way without it. In the morning we have stretching, in the evening — cardio workouts.

— Yes. But I already have captaincy experience: last year I made my debut in this role at the Women's World Team Championship.

— It is a big responsibility. I try to work with the girls as much as possible and help them with both chess and other matters. We have a close-knit team, and I think everything will be fine.

— I control the training process: I monitor how the preparation is going, what the chess players and coaches are working on, and what mistakes need to be corrected. I distribute the work among the coaches, taking into account who is best suited for a specific athlete and which opening needs to be worked on.

In addition, I handle the girls' participation in tournaments and interact with the organizers. For any questions related to the national team, the girls turn to me.

At the Olympiad itself, the captain is responsible for the lineup for each round, substitutions, and other decisions. We will consult with the coaches, everyone will express their opinion, but the final decision is mine. As a specialist in sports psychology, I also help the girls cope with psychological pressure.

— Yes, quite a large one.

— Some names are already known, but for now, I would not like to reveal the composition of the staff.

— Yes, it continues, but I cannot say yet with whom exactly and in what format he is working.

— India, China, Georgia, and other rating favorites. But the Women's Olympiad is unpredictable. This is a team competition, and a lot depends on the circumstances and the atmosphere within the national team. A high rating does not guarantee victory yet.

— Our goal is to perform as best as we can. Of course, deep down, everyone is thinking about a medal.

— No. We do not have the goal of getting ahead of anyone. We need to win the entire tournament.

— I think it helps. There will be no problems with the climate and food. Two members of the first national team — Afruza Khamdamova and Guldona Karimova — are originally from Samarkand; they will be playing at home. It will be possible to fully focus on chess and show one's best game.

— We took into account the current rating and the average rating over six months.

Initially, the roster was determined as of May 1 — based on the current and average rating over six months. At that time, according to these indicators, Madinabonu Khalilova was included in the first national team.

However, then Nilufarkhon Imomkuzieva, our rising star, performed brilliantly at the Asian Women's Championship: she took ninth place, gained many rating points, and crossed the 2300 mark. She became the third highest-rated female chess player in Uzbekistan.

She is only 15 years old, but we came to the conclusion that we must take her into the team because recently she has been showing very confident play. She was finally included in the roster in August.

— Yes, both will make their debut at the Olympiad. At the same time, they already have experience in team competitions. Guldona played at the Women's World Team Championship.

Nilufarkhon played in London last year at the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship and showed an excellent result — scoring 8 points out of 12 on the sixth board. Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Javokhir Sindarov, and other strongest chess players participated in that tournament.

In addition, Nilufarkhon is the world champion among schoolgirls under 15. She has experience, and I think the Olympiad will not scare her.

— Some coaches work with both men and women. But it was important to me that during training, the coach's attention was not scattered and our girls received it to the maximum. Therefore, the men's and women's national teams prepare separately and almost do not cross paths in terms of chess.

Recently in Hong Kong, they played together in the same team, but their training process is different.

— One always wants to play.

— Not yet. Right now I have other priorities. I am busy with the national teams, and I also have the Sky Chess school, which also needs time. Due to the preparation for the Olympiad, the schedule is very tight: in fact, I have been living with the team for the fourth month now, and I have been working with all the girls for almost two years.

— The captain of the second team is Alexey Barsov, of the third — Marat Dzhumaev. They also work with the teams as coaches. The second national team has other specialists as well, while Marat mostly works with the third team himself.

— Yes, previously there were no such conditions. Now the girls have opportunities for full preparation and support. I am very glad about this.

— What do you attribute the current rise of women's chess in Uzbekistan to?

— The leadership in the Chess Federation changed, [Prime Minister of Uzbekistan] Abdulla Nigmatovich Aripov returned there — and after that, a lot changed. He also headed the Federation during the years when I was competing. Back then, it was only under him that I received support from the Federation.

After his return, the state began to pay much more attention to women's chess, and the results appeared almost immediately. When I started working with the team, Uzbekistan was in 43rd place in the FIDE rating. Now we are in 21st place, and in January 2026, we rose to 15th.

— The girls receive stipends, their participation in tournaments, the work of coaches, and a physical preparation specialist are paid for. All they have to do is focus on chess.

In addition, all organizational worries have been removed from them: registration for tournaments, buying tickets, planning routes, negotiating with organizers, and finding hotels. These issues are handled by the support team.

— When you play for a team, the responsibility is higher. At the Olympiads, I played on the top boards and, as a leader, I always felt this particularly acutely. The main thing here is not to lose and to hold your board reliably.

In an individual tournament, you can take more risks, try sharp openings and experimental ideas. At the Olympiad, first of all, you need to play reliably.

The first women's national team of Uzbekistan will perform with the following roster: Afruza Khamdamova (FIDE rating — 2443), Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (2357), Umida Omonova (2297), Nilufarkhon Imomkuzieva (2281), and Guldona Karimova (2242).

The second team includes Nilufar Yakubbaeva (2246), Marjona Malikova (2149), Asal Salimova (2088), Madinabonu Khalilova (2087), and Mumtozbegim Mansurova (1928), and the third team includes Zilola Aktamova (2078), Maftuna Bobomurodova (2030), Barchinoy Shokirjonova (1996), Shokhina Akhmedova (1978), and Ozoda Shakhzodova (1964).