When I was young, I learned the basic rules of chess and often played against my brothers and the guys in the neighborhood. But as I became older I strayed away from the game, mainly because I didn't work too hard to find someone else to play. When I was in the Peace Corps in the late 1990s I played a young, Uzbek kid who told me that he knew how to play, so we set up the pieces for a friendly match. However, it didn't take long for me to realize that I was in store for an old fashioned beat-down when I couldn't find any answers to his moves. What I didn't know then is that Uzbeks love to play chess and they learn solid strategies at a young age. It's a good thing we weren't playing for money or I would've walked out of that room a much poorer man!

Ongoing right now, the women of chess are taking center stage in Tashkent!

The 2013 Tashkent Women’s Grand Prix is being held in Uzbekistan from September 17 – October 1. Twelve women from Uzbekistan, China, Georgia, Ukraine, India, United States, Russia, and Kazakhstan are competing to qualify for the next round of play for the world title. The tournament is sanctioned by the World Chess Federation, and they are competing for over $80,000 in prize money. The competition is fierce and all of the matches have been closely contested.

While we at Roxana Tour are cheering for the Uzbek representative, Nafisa Muminova, nevertheless we wish good luck to all of the participants!

Nafisa Muminova (Uzbekistan) sets up her pieces before her match.

Posted by Greg Stephenson