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NEW DELHI: Arjuna Awardee Grandmaster (GM) Abhijeet Gupta, who turned the primary Indian to win 5 Commonwealth Chess Championship titles, has sparked a large dialog concerning the therapy of athletes in India after taking to X (previously Twitter) to disclose that his prize cash for profitable the Odisha GM Open in January 2026 stays unpaid.In an unique dialog with TimesofIndia.com on Saturday, the GM expressed his frustration over the dearth of accountability from each the match organisers and the All India Chess Federation (AICF).
The match, which included a number of grandmasters, concluded on January 24, 2026. It had a complete prize pool of Rs 45 lakh, with the winner set to obtain Rs 5.5 lakh. Initially, Gupta was informed his winnings can be transferred inside a few weeks.“At the moment, I used to be informed by the organiser, ‘Your prize cash will likely be transferred in a few weeks, so please do not trouble… we’re very busy.’ I didn’t hassle a lot as a result of it is a regular observe in India that they do not give the prize cash in money,” Gupta, who had clinched the title with an 8/10 rating, informed this web site.Nevertheless, weeks changed into months. After a follow-up in March, communication from the organisers went silent. “After a few months, they stopped answering altogether,” he added.Gupta, who acquired the distinguished Arjuna Award again in 2013, subsequently reached out to the AICF, noting that the match was formally affiliated with the nationwide physique.“I felt that AICF can also be accountable… if it’s underneath AICF, there needs to be some accountability,” Gupta added.Regardless of sending a number of emails to the federation’s President and Secretary since March, the GM has acquired no response. For the 36-year-old Gupta, the problem surpasses his private funds, as he’s deeply involved in regards to the precedent this units for the following technology of Indian chess prodigies.“I’m already at that stage of my profession the place cash does not matter a lot. However think about if some 10-year-old wins his first prize and does not get it, what sort of precedent are we setting? If this could occur to somebody honoured with the Arjuna Award, one can solely think about the struggles confronted by gamers on the grassroots degree,” he mentioned.Gupta’s publish on X has known as upon the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports activities to intervene, demanding transparency and the safety of the “dignity and belief of each chess participant in India”.When requested about his subsequent steps if the silence continues, Gupta remained cautious: “I’ve not determined something but. I will see the way it pans out.”
