The Hindu
Online edition of India’s National Newspaper
Monday, Oct 26, 2009
Humpy’s father to approach Ministry
Principal Correspondent
Special thanks to Jagadish Dube for sending us the information.
HYDERABAD: “I am going to write to the Union Sports Ministry about (the) AICF’s attitude towards Humpy for we have decided to take the conflict with the All India Chess Federation to its logical end,” said Dronacharya Koneru Ashok, who is Koneru Humpy’s father-cum-coach at a press conference here on Sunday.
“We are getting offers from different countries to settle there and play chess although we would love to continue to play for our country,” Ashok said.
“Being World No. 2 Humpy doesn’t need permission to take part in any World championship. She gets a direct entry from the FIDE,” he said.
Ashok arrived in Hyderabad hoping to have a debate with the AICF officials who did not turn up at the AP Olympic Bhavan. So Ashok addressed the media on the raging controversy.
“Mr. (D.V.) Sundar (the AICF Secretary) should understand why Humpy insists that I should accompany her. I am her personal coach and any World No. 2 would want a personal coach present with them at major events,” Ashok said.
Coming to the question of Humpy taking part in the international events and why she skipped the World women’s team championship, Ashok asked whether, being World No. 2, the former World junior champion doesn’t have the right to choose her events to improve her ranking.
“It is unfair to insist that Humpy be available for a particular tournament. It is also unfair to say that Humpy never played for the country. She has done so on numerous occasions,” he said.
Source: The Hindu
I wish more chess players would have the guts to stand up and fight against corrupt chess politicians. Go Humpy! We support you!
Why stand up? If you can’t beat them, join them is the oldest saying!?
I see Humpy being supporetd by dad and some bloggers only. Is that enough?
I find it disappointing Humpy not approaching her stepmother federation – FIDE for logistic support. FIDE could solve her problem in 24 hours.
Why should we help Humpy Koneru? What has she ever done for us?
There’s no excuse for chess politicians acting stupid, whether it’s in India, Russia, or the United States.
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This sunder is really an arrogant person for a secretary. I have personal experience while asking permission to organise an event. He literally spoke to me that CHESS means SUNDER in India.
It doesn’t really matter if she is World Number 2 or World Number 2000.
AICF and its counterparts should not have the power to tell a player that they cannot skip an event, or that they need AICF’s permission to participate in another event.
If AICF wants the player to play, they have to win their participation with great service, in a competitive market.
If the India Chess Federation is paying her way to these events they should have some say in the events she participates in. Shouldn’t they?
No doubt Mr Sundar is very irritating to high-ranking players, but the so-called issues between the Koneru family and the AICF don’t seem all that scandalous, and the blame for disagreements between the two sides is not all that clear-cut. The dispute has the feel of Humpy and family wanting the freedom to pick and choose that comes with being a freelance professional, located outside the constraints of the AICF, but not entirely sure whether they can afford to lose its backing.
The best way to teach Sundar and other corrupt and unhelpful chess officials/politicians in India a good lesson would be for Humpy to threaten to move out of India , settle down in Europe (Germany, Spain or France would give her an open-armed welcome). Give her the financial and other help she deserves, let her choose the world-class tourneys and she will soon be World No.1 in women’s chess and do India proud. Sundar & Co. should remember the case of those Indian scientists and other intellectuals who left India (for US) under similar circumstances in the recent past and some of whom rose to the highest pinnacles in their fields and even got a Nobel Prize.
Do note that all this is posibly FIDE’s conspiracy to gather more cash. See http://www.fide.com/images/stories/news2009/
2010_reg_transfers__eligibility.pdf
for the fee price to transfer from India to another county.
I will not help Humpy. Why? Because it’s a fight lost in advance.
Who cares? Now, is “Forcing Chess Moves” a good book or not??
Humpy should move to Malaysia. Women are treated well there.
‘I am her personal coach’
What is definition of “coach”?
Humpy should look for a change of scenery. Will help her game come out of the present stagnation. After all why is it that World Champ Anand stays in Spain? Sunder would have driven him mad had he continued at Chennai ( Madras). At any rate people who cannot sublimate their ego’s are bad in any official position.
She should sue Sundar. Corrupt chess politicians need to be held accountable for what they do.
“Coach” is a person who, on a regular basis teaches the player something useful or trains her in something that is useful for her as a chess player 🙂
Good points made here. I haven’t read everything written in detail and hardly the issue is so black-white.
Anand, like other players who reside in Spain, does it possibly for the reason it’s geographically better place (most important tournaments are still played in Europe, I think).