Frustrated Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta moves Sports Ministry over unpaid Odisha Open dues

New Delhi: Renowned Indian Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta has been left frustrated in his attempts to secure the prize money for the Odisha Open title he won earlier this year, with repeated assurances from the organisers yielding no result.

Despite writing several letters to the All India Chess Federation, the Chess Olympiad medallist is yet to receive the payment, forcing him to seek intervention from the Sports Ministry. Sources said the Odisha association is embroiled in infighting, with its bank account frozen, leaving the organisers unable to clear the dues.

"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," wrote the 36-year-old Gupta, the first player to win the Commonwealth Chess Championship five times, on 'X'.

"This is not just about one unpaid prize. It is about protecting the dignity and trust of every chess player in India." Gupta also told PTI that the organisers owe him Rs 5.5 lakh in prize money for the tournament he won in January.

"I won the Odisha Open in January 2026. The organisers assured me that the prize money would be paid within a month. However, when I followed up later, they stopped responding," he said.

"As a sportsperson, you learn to accept losses more often than victories -- that is part of the journey. But what hurts even more is winning and still not receiving what you rightfully earned." A source in the AICF said the organisers of the Odisha Open were unable to pay Gupta because their bank account had been frozen amid infighting within the state association.

"There is infighting within the association, with rival factions locked in a dispute, because of which the account has been frozen and players are not getting their dues," the source said.

Gupta also wrote that he had tried reaching out to the AICF but received no response.

"Since the tournament was affiliated with the All India Chess Federation, I also reached out to the federation's president and secretary, hoping the matter would be resolved fairly. Unfortunately, there has been no response from them either.

"If this can happen to someone honoured with the Arjuna Award, one can only imagine the struggles faced by players at the grassroots level of chess in India," added Gupta.

A senior AICF official, however, said on condition of anonymity that the federation had "reached out" to Gupta.

"I am 100 per cent certain that the issue will be resolved soon. The idea is to work for the players. Let us understand the issue (with Odisha association) and then we will resolve it," the official added.

Gupta said he was forced to raise the issue on social media as nearly four months had passed since he won the title, but all he had received were repeated assurances.

"The infighting in the (Odisha association) has been going on for years. They conducted the tournament and it was affiliated by the AICF. So there has to be some responsibility on the part of the national federation.

"I totally understand that (their account might have been frozen), but as a player what should I do They should not have held the tournament in the first place. As a sportsperson, you win very less tournaments and you lose more... that's what I feel in general," added Gupta.