Interview with Abdumajid Khurramov, associate professor of Samarkand State University, father of Marjona Malikova, participant of the 44th World Chess Olympiad held in Chennai, India, winner of the "Builder of the Future" medal

    First of all, what are your impressions of your child being awarded the "Builder of the Future" medal? Your daughter received the award from the President...

    - Many thanks to the head of our country. All my acquaintances, relatives, brothers and sisters congratulated me. May everyone hear such congratulations after their children. Our whole family was happy. As a father, I am happy with the achievements of my child. I am proud of my daughter

    My daughter has been interested in chess since she was 7 years old. He learned to play chess with his mother. Marjona never asked us how a single chess piece moves. He learned by watching the game. Then he started attending a club in our neighborhood. At the age of 8, he took the 1st place in the regional competition and went to Tashkent. Since then, every year he has participated in the national championships and various competitions.

    - How do you accept his defeat?

    - It will be difficult for parents, you will not even know what you are eating or drinking. My other child plays tennis. It will be the same with him. We watch both of them participate in competitions with great excitement.

    - What about Marjonana's participation in the World Chess Olympiad?

    - We watched the Olympics with great interest. I would not be wrong to say that the whole of Uzbekistan saw it with us. After every game, we discussed the results with our family and friends. Although it was the first time the girls' team participated in the Olympics, they did not play badly. The performance of the boys' team was commendable.

    - Your child will be away from home for a long time in competitions...

    - Of course, I miss it, but technology is very advanced now. You can browse and chat online. Therefore, this situation is relatively easy.

    -After the 44th World Chess Olympiad, the number of parents who want their child to become a chess player has increased. What advice and recommendations would you give them?

    - It's true, there are many appeals to me about this. First of all, it is necessary to give the child to the sport he is interested in. Family environment also plays an important role here. Do not limit your child's interests. It is not appropriate to force someone to go to sports. A child can become a good chess player if he is interested and works hard.

Iroda Bekmurodova spoke

Samarkand State University

Information service officer

Photos taken by Shavkat Akramov.