AICF assures prize money for Abhijeet after the GM approaches Sports Ministry over unpaid dues
The Grandmaster had earlier said in his post that he was assured the prize money would be paid within a month, but the payment never materialised.
New Delhi: Renowned Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta, left frustrated by the delay in receiving prize money for his Odisha Open title earlier this year, has now received assurances from the All India Chess Federation that the issue will be resolved and “necessary action” is initiated to clear his dues.
Gupta, a Chess Olympiad medallist and five-time Commonwealth champion, had been left exasperated as repeated letters to the AICF failed to secure his payment even four months after winning the title, forcing him to seek intervention from the Sports Ministry.
Sources said the Odisha association, which organised the tournament, is embroiled in infighting, with its bank account frozen and the organisers unable to clear the dues.
“I kindly request the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to look into this matter and help ensure that players receive their rightful prize money with transparency and accountability,” wrote the 36-year-old Gupta on ‘X’.
“This is not just about one unpaid prize. It is about protecting the dignity and trust of every chess player in India.” Gupta also told PTI that the organisers owe him Rs 5.5 lakh in prize money for the tournament which he won in January.
However, he later posted on social media that AICF president Nitin Narang had assured him that the issue would be resolved.
“The President of All India Chess Federation @narangnitin ji called me and assured me that the necessary action has been initiated!” wrote Gupta.
The Grandmaster had earlier said in his post that he was assured the prize money would be paid within a month, but the payment never materialised.
“However, when I followed up later, they (organisers) stopped responding,” he said.
“As a sportsperson, you learn to accept losses more often than victories — that is part of the journey. But what hurts even more is winning and still not receiving what you rightfully earned.”
A source in the AICF said the organisers of the Odisha Open were unable to pay Gupta because their bank account had been frozen amid infighting within the state association.
“There is infighting within the association, with rival factions locked in a dispute, because of which the account has been frozen and players are not getting their dues,” the source said.
Gupta also wrote that he had tried reaching out to the AICF but received no response.
“Since the tournament was affiliated with the All India Chess Federation, I also reached out to the federation’s president and secretary, hoping the matter would be resolved fairly. Unfortunately, there has been no response from them either.
“If this can happen to someone honoured with the Arjuna Award, one can only imagine the struggles faced by players at the grassroots level of chess in India,” added Gupta.
A senior AICF official, however, said on condition of anonymity that the federation had “reached out” to Gupta.
“I am 100 per cent certain that the issue will be resolved soon. The idea is to work for the players. Let us understand the issue (with Odisha association) and then we will resolve it,” the official added.
Gupta said part of the responsibility for ensuring payment of the prize money also rested with the AICF as the state association is affiliated to the national body.
“The infighting in the (the Odisha association) has been going on for years. They conducted the tournament and it was affiliated by the AICF. So there has to be some responsibility on the part of the national federation.
“I totally understand that (their account might have been frozen), but as a player what should I do. They should not have held the tournament in the first place. As a sportsperson, you win very less tournaments and you lose more… that’s what I feel in general,” added Gupta.
