The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has been left in an utterly embarrassing situation after the prestigious Chess Olympiad Trophy has gone missing. The trophy, known as the 'Nona Gaprindashvili Cup,' was given to India for being the best contingent in the 2022 edition.
The issue came to light when the International Chess Federation (FIDE) asked for the trophy to be brought to Budapest for an event. After investigating, the AICF discovered that the trophy had been missing from their office for over a month. Losing the trophy, which is awarded to the best contingent, has caused significant discomfort for the AICF, which also had to issue an apology.
AICF vice-president Anil Kumar Raizada spoke to PTI on the matter and said, "After we had received a request from FIDE for the trophy to be brought, we have been unable to trace it for over 30 days. As a result, we have filed an official police complaint, and an investigation will follow."
Another senior AICF official, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, said that a "contingency plan is in place" and "a replacement trophy" has been ordered for the current edition.
"Yes, we tried to look for it all around following FIDE's request. However, we have been unable to locate it so far. It is indeed an embarrassing situation, and these things require utter responsibility," the senior official stated.
"For now, a replacement trophy has been ordered. It won't be as unique as the original, but still, it will be close to the original one. We apologise for the mess."
🇮🇳 India 1 won the Nona Gaprindashvili cup at the #ChessOlympiad! @chennaichess22 @aicfchess Congratulations! 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/A8hZxTiFbH
— Chess.com – India (@chesscom_in) August 10, 2022
Meanwhile, International Master Vantika Agrawal delivered the goods when it was badly needed, defeating Grandmaster Irina Krush to force a 2-2 draw against the United States while the Indian men stayed in sole lead after splitting points with Uzbekistan in the ninth round of the of the 45th Chess Olympiad currently underway in Budapest.