GM Koneru Humpy – press release
Mr. Sundar claims that I’m lying. He has frequently pointed out that I have been skipping women tournaments. If this were true why did I confirm participation in most of the forthcoming women tournaments? Here’s my email to D.V. Sunder dated 11 Sep. 2009:
Sir,
I would like to confirm my availability to represent India in the following women tournaments.
- 3rd Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam, 2009
- Chess Olympiad in Russia, 2010
- Asian Games in China, 2010
- Women’s world chess championship in Turkey, 2010
As you know my father-cum-trainer Mr. Koneru Ashok always accompany me to the tournaments. I suppose his presence will help me to show better results. Once I tried without his guidance in the Chess Olympiad, 2006, at Turin, Italy, and I utterly collapsed.
Hence I request you to allow my father Mr. Koneru Ashok to accompany me as my personal trainer for the above mentioned tournaments and the travel, stay and food etc. for him may be borne by the All India chess federation/Govt. of India.
In this regard, I request you to kindly convey your acceptance permitting him to accompany me and also with respect to his expenses, so that, he may make necessary preparation for the tournaments.
Kindly do the needful and obilige.
Thanking you.
Koneru Humpy
After my confirmation Mr Sundar changed his tone and said that my father has to bear his own expenses. I have already mentioned in my previous press release that this is not the issue. As a proof here is my dad’s email dated 13 Oct. 2009).
Dear Mr. Sundar,
Okay. I will take care of my Airfare and USD 50 per day for my stay and food. Please try to include me in the delegation for the Asian indoor Games and make arrangements for my visa/accreditation card & Air ticket along with Humpy.
With regards
Koneru Ashok
Who is the liar?
Mr. Sunder is misleading the issue by saying that I have withdrawn from the Asian Indoor Games because I want someone else to bear my dad’s expenses. This is totally absurd.
I want to make one thing clear, my protest against Mr. Sundar is not about the AICF bearing my dad’s expenses. It’s about his tyrannical attitude in forcing me to play in the tournaments irrespective of my preferences.
Mr. Sundar said that I have never sought the permission of the AICF to participate in any tournament before. I have. Here are some sample emails:
March 25, 2009:
Dear Mr. D.V. Sundar,I have been Invited to Participate in the Ruy Lopez International chess festival (Category 16,Round Robin), from 11th to 22nd June , 2009, Zafra, Spain. In this regard I request you to give me permission to participate in this tournament.
Thanking you
Yours Sincerely,
Koneru Humpy
Mr. Sundar’s full reply to my email on March 26 was:
All the best to you
D V Sundar
Here’s another request I filed:
July 8, 2009
To Mr. D.V. Sundar,
Hon. Secretary, AICF
Respected Sir,
I have been invited to Greece to participate in the International Open Tournament of Kavala from 1-8 August and Acropolis International Open Tournament from 10th-18th August, 2009. I request you to permit me to participate in the above tournaments.
Yours sincerely,
Koneru Humpy
To this email I did not receive a reply. I didn’t know that it meant that he had given permission. Maybe I should grow up…
Here is the full press release.
All chess politicians are corrupt.
In all honesty, I had expected Humpy’s evidence to be a lot more compelling. To say that he refused to let her play by responding “all the best to you” to one e-mail, and not replying to another e-mail, and hence a tyrannical attitude, is very unconvincing. She had also claimed that AICF had approved her father’s expenses but then reversed itself. The only evidence presented is that AICF had never approved the expenses.
I don’t doubt that Mr. Sundar is culpable, but so far Humpy has produced virtually no evidence of it.
In india most of the sports bodies have been infected with highly incompetent and illiterate( those who have no credentials to the sports for which they get elected as bosses) officials. They do more damages to the sports as well as to budding players.Indian Chess federation has history of guys who know very little of chess. and should be thrown out of federation at once.Many national chess champions had to leave the chess scene in india because of mean attitudes of so called chess officals.Humpy’s achievements in chess is next only to Vishy Anand in India.
Humpy is right. All national federations should get rid of their chess politicians.
All chess politicians are corrupt.
‘Humpy’s achievements in chess is next only to Vishy Anand in India.’
That’s only thanks to her dad. Without him present and praying she is doomed to failure and misery and will fall ill on every tournament she plays.
First of all AICF should pay for Humpy’s dad’s expenses,as he is her coach and mentor. It is the bloody incompetent AICF’s duty to encourage the top players of India & give them all support. It is a wonder that India has any decent chess players at all,given the egoistic bumbling attitude (typical of Indian officialdom) of the AICF. A lot of other countries that treat their chess players a lot better must be having a good laugh! India has decent people who understand chess – Arvind Aaron, Praful Zaveri etc to name a few & such people should be at the helm of affairs.
There is only one way to make federations answerable to players for whom they are formed. Internal democracy should be ensured by giving voting rights to 2200+ local players in the elections of office bearers.
Sundar’s background is of table tennis and not chess!Imagine a corrupt and dictatorial official given powers to run All India Chess Federation who doesnt even know abc of Chess!!!
That he has this nature of vendetta is evident from the fact that he made the legitimate Rajasthan State Chess Association defunct in order to teach a former VP of AICF a lesson and propped up a totally bogus and illegal parellel body,(which is now about to be scrapped by the Rajasthan Govt.).Humpy is just the latest in his list.Officials of his ilk run these federation for their gratification and self glorification rather than sports.It is time he is suitably taken care of.If Humpy needs her father as coach,he should have been permitted without a second’s delay.Period.
Asked the following (weird) question, and inadvertently, a light bulb went up.
Q: what *value* does the AICF or USCF or FIDE bring to *chess players* ?
Compare that to the *value* provided by ICC and similar.
A: Players who are obsessed with OTB titles and prize-money have to deal with idiot politicians.
A vast majority of us who love the game, and enjoy playing it, don’t need them.
What do you all think?
—
Disclaimer: I’ve absolutely NO financial interest in ICC or any other online or offline chess community. Chess, to me, is a labor of love.
AICF should kick Humpy’s dad’s but as often as can.
‘If Humpy needs her father as coach,he should have been permitted without a second’s delay’
I don’t know about that. My federation also refused when I asked for my grandmother to come along.
‘It is time he is suitably taken care of.’
By giving him a raise would be appropriate.
Why only Sundar? Why be so selfish and clean up your own house only?? Why not clean up all houses at the same time??
I found a video that has chess politicians dancing around celebrating their triumph over chess players. It is a sad day for chess <a href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDHSbrPZH4A&feature=player_embedded#movie_player”< Click Here!<a>
All chess beaurocracts must be good chess players, others should be kicked out. These AICF guys are only trying to establish their rules (i.e. themselves) and not serving the cause of chess.
Came to Portugal with your family. Here you can have the freedom to play in all major tournaments in Europe, and be a heroine in Portugal.
Don’t go to Portugal with your family. India will never forget you.
All chess players must be good chess beaurocracts, others should be kicked out.
when can i see that stupid idiot thrown out…..it is too much to bear…we all should support Humpy, she is 100% right in her defence.
when can i see that stupid idiot thrown out…..it is too much to bear…we all should support Humpy, she is 100% right in her defence.
sundar? haha…a big joker in chess…he can not even identify the king and queen….Thanks Susan for proving the proper coverage for this important point…we must all unite to fight these non-sense corrupt people…..
Sundar! OUT! OUT!