When Uzbekistan, considered an underdog to some, won the 44th Chessy Olympiad International Competition for the first time in history, they took the world by surprise. For the past twenty-two years, Ulugbek Tillyaev has been playing chess eight hours a day. He’s been Uzbekistan’s chess champion three times, and hopes to leave a large footprint in chess history–and his country’s. What does Ulugbek claim is most distracting for players? Chess is an intellectual, uniting, creative game–and you can be any age to play it. Ulugbek teaches his young students that it takes self-confidence to win, and more importantly: real management of your emotions. Though unavoidable, Ulugbek says emotions are distracting for chess players–regardless of how old they are. Ulugbek believes there will be more wins, and not only will they include him, they will also include his students. He wants his club to produce many famous chess players, and he wants to become an international grandmaster himself. In 2026, Uzbekistan will host the 46th Chess Olympiad, where Ulugbek hopes to represent and win.
