The Gopal family has not recovered from the shock. “It will take a while before we overcome this,” said G Narain Pillay, a retired English lecturer. “I’ve spent all my earnings to fund my son’s career in chess. Now, they say he can’t play.” Pillay is devastated.
The All-India Chess Federation (AICF) has not yet communicated to GN Gopal its decision to stop him from playing any official tournament in India or abroad. But the AICF refused to term the punishment as a ban.
“We have to draw a line at some point of time. We cannot tolerate indiscipline from players,” said RM Dongre, vice-president of the AICF. The decision to punish Gopal was taken at the AICF’s Central committee meeting held in Chennai on Tuesday. The charges against Gopal include, refusal to take part in the National A tournament in December.
AICF’s secretary DV Sundar said the association would not tolerate such indiscipline.
But the Chess Players Association of India (CPAI) said the players’ body was not being informed of the decisions taken at the AICF meetings. “We would also like to bring to your notice that decisions pertaining to players taken in AICF meetings are not communicated to the players. Hence the players are not aware of all the rules and regulations,” the CPAI said in a written statement to the AICF after it showcaused Gopal.
Gopal’s father said his son could not take part in the National A because he was committed to playing a tournament in Mexico on the same dates.
“There are many instances of players skipping the National A but the AICF did not take any action. The punishment against Gopal is very harsh,” said Verghese Koshy, a senior player and reputed coach. CPAI president GM Tejas Bakre said it would request the AICF to reconsider its decision.
