Internal rift in Odisha chess body leaves GM Abhijeet Gupta, others waiting for Rs 45 lakh prize money

Speaking to The Indian Express, Gupta said: “The event got over around 24th–25th January. As the winner of the tournament, I was assured by the organiser that the transfer of the prize money would be done within a couple of weeks.”

“When that didn’t happen, I tried to chase them. They asked for some more time, and afterwards, they completely stopped responding altogether,” he added.

The Indian Express has learnt that not only Gupta’s Rs 5.5 lakh prize money, but the entire Rs 45 lakh prize fund of the Odisha Open remains unpaid by the organisers. Additionally, volunteers, arbiters and caterers are yet to be paid, as are appearance fees for a select few top Grandmasters.

The AOCA is currently going through an internal dispute, with the federation president and secretary turning against each other.

Chief organiser of the Odisha Open and General Secretary of AOCA, Debabrata Bhatta, has blamed federation president Satya Ranjan Pattnaik for the crisis. According to Bhatta, the association’s bank account has been frozen by Pattnaik after the latter accused him of financial wrongdoings, which resulted in the non-payment of prize money.

“I am trying to resolve this issue but my hands are tied as the case is ongoing in the Odisha High Court. Till the accounts are frozen, I can’t do anything,” Bhatta told The Indian Express.

Pattnaik, however, claimed that it was Bhatta’s mistakes and ignorance which led to the entire mess.

“There was no fund to organise this event. Even after repeated warnings from me, they didn’t listen and went on to conduct this tournament with lack of enough funds. Bhatta said he will give from his own pocket and created ruckus,” Pattnaik told this newspaper.

Pattnaik had initiated an inquiry and passed an order to suspend Bhatta in February 2026 during the Executive Committee Meeting for his failure to provide audit reports for the financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26.

According to Pattnaik, Bhatta ignored the suspension and went on to conduct a General Body meeting in March where he had Pattnaik removed from his position of president. Pattnaik also claimed that if he unfreezes the association account, Bhatta will not pay the players their due prize money. Instead, he said, Bhatta would take the money for his own use.

Gupta disappointed with AICF

Gupta also expressed disappointment with the All India Chess Federation (AICF), which he blamed for being ignorant and failing to step in at the right time.

“So they have been having some problems in the state association for a while. But it was there beforehand itself. It was not like some association problem was happening during the tournament or after the event,” he said.

“But my point is, if AICF is affiliating this tournament, then they should check it beforehand. They should have certain legal documents stating whether they have a financial guarantee or not.”

Gupta said he did reach out to the AICF for help, but after multiple failed attempts to get any support, he was forced to seek intervention from the Sports Ministry.

“I kindly request the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to look into this matter and help ensure that players receive their rightful prize money with transparency and accountability,” the 36-year-old Gupta wrote on X.

“This is not just about one unpaid prize. It is about protecting the dignity and trust of every chess player in India.”

Following Gupta’s outburst, AICF president Nitin Narang reached out to him and assured him that necessary action would be taken. Speaking to this newspaper, Narang said he has spoken with Gupta and that the matter will be resolved as soon as possible.

While Gupta acknowledged that the unpaid prize money is still manageable for him personally, he noted that many other families, especially parents of young chess players, have reached out to him over similar issues.

Apart from competing at top-level events, Gupta also trains several up-and-coming players. He revealed that the parent of a 10-year-old student, who was also owed prize money from the same Odisha Open, recently called him to ask if there had been any update.

“I have a student who was also playing in this event. He is about 10 or 11. And I also feel bad, only because I have been in this field for a long time. If a young boy or a girl, if it is their first event, if they win a prize, and even that is not being paid, it actually feels painful. Why would anybody take up such a sport if things like this happen again and again?,” Gupta told this newspaper.