Indian chess stars criticise government's decision to stop cash rewards: 'Awards are lifeline for promising players'

Indian Grandmaster Arjun Erigaisi, who recently became only the second Indian to cross 2800 Elo rating points , said removing the cash reward would discourage parents and increase their financial burden. “If it is actually the case that it is stopped now, then it’s definitely not something that would demotivate a lot of young children as they don’t care about the money aspect,” Erigaisi told PTI. “But it is maybe (demotivating) for the parents. When they have to make some financial calls, then what would happen after becoming a Grandmaster would be a question. “And if there is some motivation like this, then there are more chances that they would encourage their children if they have to make a call between chess and studies. It’s not something ideal.” GM Srinath Narayanan, who was the captain of the Indian gold medal-winning team at Olympiad 2024 , said the cash rewards are the “lifeline” for many young players and removing them will impact them negatively. “This is a sad development. Awards and funds are the lifeline of many promising players under 20. In practice I can imagine this move negatively impacting many upcoming talents. I have been informed that some of the existing awards earned by virtue of this achievement have also not been disbursed yet,” he wrote on X. International Master Venkat Saravanan questioned the timing of the decision considering the recent landmarks that Indian chess players have achieved over the last few months. Indian #Chess is going great guns & Govt decides to discontinue cash awards for getting GM/IM titles (Given only for U-20). Explanation: to “simplify the…incentive”, “scheme has been amended”! Did @aicfchess even notice? Excellent vision @Media_SAI @IndiaSports @YASMinistry! All India Chess Federation Vice-President Dibyendu Barua, meanwhile, has said that the decision was taken without consulting the chess body. “No, we didn’t know. The AICF has not been consulted. They took the decision absolutely without consulting the All India Chess Federation. Definitely, it is not a good sign. As a player, I would say I don’t agree with this,” he told the Hindustan Times.