The Hindu : Sport / Chess : AICF-CPAI battle turns ugly

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Tuesday, Jan 11, 2005

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Sport - Chess

AICF-CPAI battle turns ugly

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JAN. 10. It just needed one remark from Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte to bring into the open the ongoing confrontation between the recently formed Chess Players' Association of India (CPAI) and the All India Chess Federation. What made it all the more prominent was the walkout by AICF secretary P. T. Ummer Koya, along with a couple of his colleagues, from the dais during the prize-giving function of the Parsvnath International Open chess tournament.

It all happened when Kunte, speaking from the stage on behalf of the players, demanded that the AICF reimburse the 10 per cent deductions made from all the prize winners (between June 1 and December 31, 2004).

In fact, after the players had protested the deduction in September last, the Federation withdrew the `cut' with effect from January 1, 2005. The players are now seeking reimbursement of the amount deducted from the prize winners in various events.

On Sunday evening, Mr. Koya had turned down all the CPAI demands following a long meeting with Dibyendu Barua, Kunte, D. V. Prasad and P. Konguvel. Last week, Barua had received a showcause notice from the AICF after he had addressed a media conference in Kolkata after the formation of the CPAI last month.

In the first meeting between the CPAI representatives and Mr. Koya, the players questioned the exclusion of Woman Grandmaster Nisha Mohota from the list of those who represented the country in the Asian women's championship in Beirut last month. The players were also peeved at being asked to pay Rs. 15,000 to the AICF for playing as a `donor' entry in FIDE events whereas the governing body charges a fee of 200 Swiss Francs (Rs. 7500 approx.).

"We did not even agree that we disagreed on every matter," was how Kunte put it when asked about the meeting. "Now, the CPAI has no choice but to explore all possibilities," he said.

The players will address a media conference on Tuesday noon at the Russian Centre for Science Art and Culture here. Barua and Kunte are among those who will be present.

Koya's explanation

Earlier, speaking to reporters, Mr. Koya made it clear that there was no question of reimbursing the money. "The deduction was a condition that was announced before every event and the players were well aware of it. How can they seek a reimbursement now?"

On the question of leaving out Nisha from the Indian squad, Mr. Koya's explanation, however, was far from convincing. "We have to give preference to the National ranking. So we sent S. Vijayalakshmi as our National entry."

In fact, the players' contention remains why Nisha was not sent as a National entry when Vijayalakshmi, S. Meenakshi and Eesha Karavade enjoyed direct seeding in the event by virtue of their rating of over 2300. Mr. Koya went on to ask, "what would have happened if the Sports Ministry had cleared Nisha on on-cost basis and not cleared one of the seeded entries?"

This hypothesis was dismissed by the players' body which felt Nisha was being "victimised" for being a member of the CPAI. Interestingly, none of the Indian players who played at Beirut were CPAI members.

When asked about AICF charging Rs. 15,000 for a donor entry when the FIDE fee is half that amount, Mr. Koya's said, "this was necessary to take care of the fluctuations in foreign exchange." Not surprisingly, this explanation had no takers.

The players' next move will be known when they come face to face with the media on Tuesday.

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