CPAI voices out concern on ongoing HUMPY vs AICF

CHESS PLAYERS ASSOCIATION OF INDIA
(Reg. No.- S / IL / 26405)
FD-437, Sector-3, Salt Lake, Kolkata-700106, Ph: 92310 94201
Email : cpai64@gmail.com; website: www.cpai.in
Press Release

The Chess Players Association of India wishes to register its concern about the ongoing issue between Grandmaster Koneru Humpy, the 2nd highest rated woman player of the world, and one of the young and prominent Chess players of the country, and the All India Chess Federation.

By perception, the following appear to be the facts of the issue:

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GM Humpy has proclaimed that she has decided to withdraw from participation in the Asian Indoor Chess Championship to be held at Vietnam in the first week of November `under stress due to …not (being) in a position to participate in a prestigious event for the country’.
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Humpy’s father, Mr. Koneru Ashok, is her personal trainer and accompanies her to all the tournaments she plays, which has been their practice since her childhood. Humpy has also stated that when the All India Chess Federation refused to bear Ashok’s expenses when accompanying her on official trips, Ashok offered to bear the expenses himself. But Humpy has stated that the AICF laid a pre-condition that Mr. Ashok will be accommodated as part of the delegation only if Humpy would participate in all the official tournaments representing the country.
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The All India Chess Federation has formed a rule that any player who wishes to play a Chess Tournament out of the country has to get the Federation’s approval for the same. In the past, this has been followed by most of the players who take part in all the tournaments abroad, and the AICF has given such permission routinely. However, Mr. D.V. Sundar, as the Secretary of the AICF, has refused Humpy permission to participate in the Gibraltar Chess Festival to be held in Jan – Feb 2010 because the AICF will be organising an International Open Chess Tournament, an unofficial event.

The CPAI feels that the developments between GM Humpy and the All India Chess Federation have been unfortunate, and that soon an amicable solution for all the issues be found. However, we wish to put forward our views on the same herein:

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That when GM Humpy feels that her father accompanying her to all the tournaments helps her perform better as a player, such a practice should not be discouraged by the Federation, especially when the player is ready to bear the trainer’s expenses. After all, it is the freedom of any player to choose his/her trainer, and sporting / performance considerations should be the most important of all.
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Looking at the career graph of GM Humpy, it is obvious that we have in her a player of international repute and great promise, and it is interest of the country and Federation that such top performers should be encouraged by giving them extra leeway and flexibility, thus ensuring that such potentials will be able to fulfil their promise.
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Players should be allowed the freedom to choose the events that they wish to play, as long as they do not fail to fulfil any official commitments or representation of the country. And we strongly feel that Open Chess Tournaments – organised by whomsoever – inside the country cannot be the reason for a player to be refused for permission to play abroad. After all, a player selects participation in Chess tournaments based on many sporting criteria such as strength of the event, Playing Schedules, Time Control, playing conditions and a host of many such considerations.
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In case the AICF feels that International Tournaments abroad attract Indian players more than events conducted inside the country, it is up to the organisers / Federation to find the reasons for the same, and thus get our Tournaments organised better, so as to attract better participation. After all, Indian players financially have to stretch themselves to play tournaments abroad on their own, and International Tournaments inside the country getting organised in a better way will be welcome development for our players, and consequently for the development of the game itself.

We urge Grandmaster Humpy and the All India Chess Federation to have a positive and open discussion on all the above issues, for the sake of her career development and the promise that she holds as a performer for the country, a settlement of all the issues be found at the earliest.

Atanu Lahiri
Secretary, Chess Players Association of India