Chess players by nature are seldom aggressive away from the board. And even if they are, groups tend to break up soon after their formation. | |
| This has happened repeatedly at the world level, which is now so divided that there has not been an undisputed World Champion for over 15 years. |
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| In India, players have begun raising their voices against an "unfair" All India Chess Federation. |
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| They have been wearing black badges at various events, protesting wasteful expenditure by AICF, the 10 per cent cut in prize money at all tournaments in India and selectorial discrepancies that seem to victimise members of the newly-formed Chess Players Association of India. |
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| As one grandmaster defiantly announced, "We are no longer willing to be the pawns of AICF and its officials." The official they have in mind is P T Ummer Koya, who has been the secretary-general of the AICF for the last 16 years. |
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| It began about six months ago when the AICF decided to levy a 10 per cent cut on all prize money earned by players in tournaments in India. |
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| Koya was quoted as saying, "We introduced the cut only to generate resources for the development of the game." |
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| When the heat from players became too much to handle, the AICF announced that there would be no cuts from January 1 2005. But the players now want a refund on previously cut prize money: "As it is, there is very little money in chess," says Dibyendu Barua, the first prodigy of Indian chess. |
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| The players say the cut was merely a way for AICF to take more money away from them. |
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| The AICF already charges a hefty fee from host associations for all tournaments, and gets grants from the government and the World Chess Federation, FIDE (Fédération Internationale des Échecs). |
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| "There is about Rs 50-60 lakh in domestic chess (apart from some international events) and 10 per cent of that is too small to help in training," says International Master V Sarvanan. |
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| A senior player added, "A look at AICF's accounts show how much the AICF secretary takes under various heads. He charges more than Rs 17,000 per month for editing the AICF forum, which is the federation's job. |
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| Then he charges fees for being the arbiter at all main events, even though he is not present for the entire duration. He also flies in and out of the country at the AICF's expense." |
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| The AICF in recent times has even raised registration fees from Rs 100 a few years back to more than Rs 500 now. Registration is mandatory for all players wanting to play in official tournaments in India. |
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| AICF also charges a donor fee for players not officially ranked or outside the top-ranked stars for tournaments. This fee is Rs 15,000 for major events and internationals, compared to the FIDE fee of 200 Swiss Francs (Rs 7,600). |
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| The protests have led to the formation of the Chess Players Association of India (CPAI) led by Barua. Now the CPAI, which has Abhijit Kunte, another Grandmaster, as the Secretary-General, has managed to collect as many 50 leading players, including Grandmasters and International Masters. |
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| They even have the tacit support of Vishy Anand, the current World No. 2. |
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| It remains to be seen how long this battle will last. In the past, federations have managed to quell rebellion easily, but with the AICF elections round the corner, the players may have more support than ever before. |
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| "The media has also been supportive," says International Master P Konguvel. Barua nods in unison. Will this unity stay? Only time will tell. |
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