The Uzbekistan men's national team became the champion of the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai, India, by defeating the Netherlands in the 11th round. The final match on August 9 ended with a score of 2.5:1.5. The 20-year-old Nodirbek Yakubboev was initially losing to 23-year-old Jorden Van Foreest but managed to turn the game around and secure a draw.During the tournament, the Uzbek chess player recorded five wins and six draws without a single loss (8 points from 11 games). The match between 17-year-old grandmaster Nodirbek Abdusattorov and 28-year-old Anish Giri, one of the world's top 10 players, also ended in a draw. Abdusattorov had the upper hand, and with a victory, he could have entered the 2700+ rating club.

On July 13, 2004, a golden page was written in the history of Uzbek sports. On this day, Uzbek grandmaster Rustam Kasimdzhanov won the World Chess Championship in Tripoli (Libya), claiming the main prize. Rustam Kasimdzhanov was born on December 5, 1979, in Tashkent. He developed an interest in chess from childhood and began serious training at the age of 5. At 15, he became the Asian junior champion. In 1997, at the age of 18, he achieved the title of international grandmaster. A year later, he proved himself as the strongest player among adults in Asia, securing his place in the world of chess.

Professor Yuriy Buryakov from Mirzo Ulugbek National University of Uzbekistan made a breakthrough in chess history. In 1990, during excavations in the ancient part of Samarkand, Afrosiyob, he discovered seven chess figurines made of ivory. This is considered the most complete set found to date. In 1996, Japanese archaeologists found two rare chess figurines from the Kushan Empire era in the ancient Dalverzintepa region in southern Uzbekistan. This indicates that chess existed in ancient Uzbekistan as early as the 2nd century BC

Rustam Kasimdzhanov was born on December 5, 1979, in Tashkent. He developed a passion for chess from an early age and began serious training at the age of five. At 15, he won the Asian Junior Championship. By 1997, at 18, he fulfilled the requirements for the grandmaster title. A year later, he proved himself as a dominant force among adult players in Asia, establishing his place in the global chess world.The 2004 World Chess Championship was hosted by Libya. At the time, Rustam was ranked 54th in the FIDE rankings. Due to political reasons, some top players withdrew from the event. This provided an excellent opportunity for Kasimdzhanov, who was in peak form. However, aside from a few absentees, most of the world's leading chess players participated in the tournament