"I almost completely stopped studying chess... I spent 24 hours a day just playing computer games" — Mukhiddin Madaminov on His Chess Career

Mukhiddin Madaminov

Uzbek GM

“In 2019 I became a FIDE Master. Back then my coaches said: “God willing, in five years you will become a Grandmaster.”

But then the lockdown happened. I almost completely stopped studying chess. Firstly, there was no control, and secondly, there was no motivation. I spent 24 hours a day just playing computer games.

Yet I could have become a strong chess player. I had the potential and talent.

In 2022, I received the title of International Master. In 2024, I became a Grandmaster. Honestly, I could have become a GM back in 2023 because I was very strong and had already achieved the required rating. But achieving the norms was difficult for me.

The desire to become a Grandmaster put a lot of pressure on me. This year, I needed to improve my rating to qualify for the Olympiad. I thought about it, played tournaments to gain a rating, and played poorly in all of them.

And when I finally accepted this and started playing simply because I enjoy it, I realized that sport is a very cool thing. It is an interesting game, and you just need to get pleasure from it, enjoy the game.

After I became the World Blitz Champion in Peru in the U20 age category, we finished the tournament, and then Javokhir said: “Let’s go to Germany, we will do a training camp.”

And then I started looking at Javokhir from the outside. When you observe a person from the outside, you always notice much more than when you’re inside the process itself. This opened up a whole new perspective for me.”