Will India Win Missing Gaprindashvili Cup?

At the end of the 10th round, the Indian Open team is leading the pack with 19 points and the Women's team is ranked second with 17 points.

With India being the leading contender for the Gaprindashvili Cup at the ongoing 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest, suspense still continues as to whether it will be given the trophy or there will be just an announcement in this regard.

The Gaprindashvili Cup that was won by India at the 44th Chess Olympiad held in Chennai was lost by the All India Chess Federation (AICF).

A senior official at the International Chess Federation or FIDE declined to comment on the alternative arrangement -- like getting a replica made -- being made in case AICF is not able to locate the lost cup before September 22, 2024, the day on which the last 11th round will be played and prize distribution ceremony is scheduled.

However it is reported that a replica has been made, but it is not known whether it has reached Budapest.

At the end of the 10th round the Indian contingent -- Open and Women's -- are leading other nations for the cup followed by China and the United States of America, as per chess-results.com (external link).

Named after the Georgian chess Grandmaster and former women's World chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili, the Cup is given to the nation's teams that shows the combined supremacy in the Open and Women's sections in the Olympiad.

The Indian Open and Women's teams won the bronze medal at the Chennai Chess Olympiad. In addition, India won the Gaprindashvili Cup for the first time in 2022.

It is said the Gaprindashvili Cup has been misplaced and the hunt is on after FIDE asked AICF about the trophy.

AICF had asked its former secretary and the 44th Chess Olympiad director Bharat Singh Chauhan about the Cup to which the latter had replied that it should be with the team members.

'I was the tournament director. The Cup is given to the team members. It should be with the players,' Chauhan had said earlier.

Chauhan in his reply to AICF had said the Cup was awarded to the team and the Indian Chess Federation should check with the team or Chennai office.

AICF President Nitin Narang was not available for comments.

"We are not able to find it. The players have not taken it," an AICF official not wanting to be quoted had earlier said.

The official said the matter came up only recently when FIDE had asked about the Cup. Immediately the hunt for the Cup started and all the Indian players who had participated in the Chennai Olympiad were contacted.

All the players had replied that they are not in the possession of the Gaprindashvili Cup.

The Tamil Nadu government that sponsored the Chennai Olympiad and the hotel where the event was held have said the Cup is not with it, the official added.

The 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad began at Budapest in Hungary on September 10, 2024. The event will end on Sunday, September 22.

The Indian Open team is seeded second and the women's team is the top seed.

At the end of the 10th round, the Indian Open team is leading the pack with 19 points and the women's team is ranked second with 17 points.

Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at venkatacharijagannathan@gmail.com

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com