"Many didn't think we could do it." Uzbekistan wins its first-ever chess bronze at the Paralympics
The national team of Uzbekistan won bronze medals at the Chess Paralympiad in Samarkand — the first in the country's history. At the same time, the team was ranked 20th before the start. "Many did not think we would be able to achieve such a result," said team captain Samandar Shermukhammadov.
"Many didn't think we could do it." Uzbekistan wins Chess Paralympiad bronze for the first time
The national team of Uzbekistan has won bronze medals at the Chess Paralympiad in Samarkand for the first time in its history, the Chess Federation of the country reported.
The tournament featured 41 teams and 164 chess players from 36 countries. Uzbekistan was represented by three lineups.
Before the final, seventh round, the battle for the medal places remained open. The first team of Uzbekistan defeated Israel with a score of 2.5:1.5 and finished the competition with 11 points.
Poland took first place, and Cuba took second. The national team of Uzbekistan finished third. This is the country's first-ever medal at the Chess Paralympiad.
The first team of Uzbekistan included Akhadkhon Kimsanboev (rating — 2073), Marsel Shayusupov (1962), FIDE Master Sirozhiddin Zaynidinov (1964), Sardorbek Mamarazhabov (1853), and Selbi Kakishova (1631).
Team captain Samandar Shermukhammadov noted after the tournament that before the start, the national team was ranked only 20th, so by no means everyone expected a medal.
"By rating, we were around 20th place, with many very strong teams ahead of us. Many of our players didn't think we could achieve such a result. But I told the players: 'You can win, I believe in you, which is why I wanted to coach you.' We supported each other, fought to the end, and ultimately took third place. For Uzbekistan, this is the first such result in para-chess," he said.
According to him, the team did not initially set a goal of simply climbing as high as possible in the standings.
"Each player was set the goal to win. I don't believe you can win in sports if you don't think about victory from the start. First, you have to believe in yourself, and only then does the result come," the captain noted.
He named a game on the eve of the final round as one of the key moments of the tournament, when chess player Selbi Kakishova managed to win despite her opponent's material advantage.
"She was a piece down, but she still chose an attacking game and won. It was a very important game. In general, you cannot single out one person here — everyone made a contribution," he said.
The captain separately highlighted the play of Akhad Kimsanboev, who played seven games on the first board without a single defeat.
"Akhad did not lose any of his seven games and showed that he is worthy of the first board. His successes, including the world champion title in his category, also gave us additional motivation... The hardest part was that all our players wanted to play on the first board. Their fighting spirit gave me confidence," he said.
According to team representatives, one of the national team's strengths was the atmosphere within the squad. The players supported each other even after unsuccessful games and did not shift the responsibility for the result onto their partners.
National team chess player Akhad Kimsanboev said that the preparation became particularly intense a month and a half to two months before the Paralympiad.
"The atmosphere in the team was good all the time. If someone lost or missed a good position, they were supported. No one blamed anyone for the result. Together we studied our opponents — their positional weaknesses, the specifics of their play with individual pieces, and prepared openings," he said.
The team also analyzed the games of future opponents and their opening repertoire in advance.
The team captain believes that holding the tournament in Uzbekistan and the attention given to the team during preparation were additional factors.
"Everyone understood what opportunities they were given, so they tried to do even more than they could. For the last two months, we trained almost every day. Conditions were created for everyone, and there were coaches. All of this also played its part," he said.
Speaking about future tournaments, the captain noted that the bronze medal should change the players' own attitude toward their capabilities.
"Now they have seen that it is possible. Third place means that in future tournaments, we need to set even higher goals. The main thing now is not to stop and to maintain this fighting spirit."
A total of 41 teams from 36 countries competed in the third Chess Paralympiad in Samarkand. Uzbekistan fielded three lineups. The second team finished in 33rd place.