Frustration Mounts for Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta Over Unpaid Prize Money

Abhijeet Gupta's Ongoing Struggle for Prize Money

New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Esteemed Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta is expressing his discontent over the failure to receive the prize money for the Odisha Open title he clinched earlier this year. Despite numerous promises from the event organizers, no payment has been made.

Gupta has reached out multiple times to the All India Chess Federation, yet the Chess Olympiad medallist has not seen any results, prompting him to seek assistance from the Sports Ministry. Reports indicate that internal conflicts within the Odisha association have led to a frozen bank account, hindering the organizers' ability to settle the payments.

In a message posted on 'X', the 36-year-old Gupta, who has made history by winning the Commonwealth Chess Championship five times, stated, “I kindly request the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to investigate this issue and ensure that players receive their deserved prize money with transparency and accountability.”

He emphasized, “This situation transcends a single unpaid prize; it concerns the dignity and trust of every chess player in India.”

Gupta revealed that he is owed Rs 5.5 lakh for his victory in January's tournament. He noted, “I won the Odisha Open in January 2026, and the organizers assured me that the prize money would be disbursed within a month. However, after following up, they ceased communication.”

He added, “As an athlete, you learn to cope with losses more than victories—that's part of the journey. However, it is even more disheartening to win and not receive what you rightfully earned.”

An insider from the AICF explained that the inability to pay Gupta stems from the frozen bank account due to ongoing disputes within the state association.

The source stated, “There is infighting within the association, with rival factions in conflict, which has resulted in the account being frozen and players not receiving their payments.”

Gupta also mentioned that he attempted to contact the AICF but received no reply.

He expressed, “Since the tournament was sanctioned by the All India Chess Federation, I reached out to the federation's president and secretary, hoping for a fair resolution. Unfortunately, I have not heard back from them either.”

Gupta remarked, “If this can happen to someone who has been honored with the Arjuna Award, one can only imagine the challenges faced by grassroots chess players in India.”

A senior AICF official, speaking anonymously, claimed that the federation had “reached out” to Gupta.

The official stated, “I am confident that this issue will be resolved soon. Our goal is to support the players. We need to understand the situation with the Odisha association and then we will address it.”

Gupta felt compelled to bring the matter to social media after nearly four months without resolution, stating that all he received were repeated promises.

He concluded, “The infighting in the Odisha association has persisted for years. They organized the tournament, which was affiliated with the AICF, so there must be some accountability from the national federation. I understand their account may be frozen, but as a player, what am I supposed to do? They should not have held the tournament in the first place. As an athlete, you win very few tournaments and lose more... that’s my general feeling.”