AICF should clarify the need for forensic audit: Chess Players Forum official

Chennai, Feb 19 (IANS) The All India Chess Federation (AICF) should openly state the reasons for its decision to have a forensic audit of its books of accounts, said a senior official of Chess Players Forum. He also said several tournaments were not held this year and the reasons are unknown.

"The chess body should tell transparently why it thinks a forensic audit is necessary and what is the financial irregularity that will be probed," International Master (IM) Venkat Saravanan, joint secretary of Chess Players Forum, told IANS.

He said the allegations should be properly spelt out. Saravanan said the affairs of AICF are in a sorry state.

According to AICF’s Interim Secretary Ajeet Kumar Verma the chess body plans to have a forensic audit of its accounts by hiring an external auditor as some of the papers are missing from its office. "We found some of the papers, inventories missing from the AICF office. It was decided to appoint an external auditor to audit the accounts. If need be, forensic audit will also be carried out. The proposed audit will also check on the payments made to various people," Verma told IANS.

The decision to appoint another audit firm was taken at the AICF's urgent General Body Meeting held on December 28 in Guwahati. The meeting was called to discuss matters relating to the officer-bearers' election, the financial health of the AICF, various court cases, formation of a legal committee and appointment of law firm Prout solicitors LLP.

Verma said the AICF accounts were audited by ARSAN & Co.

Meanwhile, Saravanan said the infighting and other developments in AICF took the players by surprise and also shocked them.

Just three years ago, new office bearers were elected for AICF and now there is severe infighting at a time when five players- three in the open category and two in the women’s section-will be competing in the Candidates Tournament to be held in Canada, Saravanan added.

The winner of the Candidates Tournament will challenge the World Champion for the world title.

Meanwhile, the former Secretary of AICF Bharat Singh Chauhan said some people are trying to tarnish his image. "I was the Secretary of the AICF till August 15 (2023) and all accounts of the Federation are clean and were passed at the Annual General Meeting," Chauhan told IANS.

In a communication to various chess officials at the General Body meeting at Guwahati, Chauhan said all the accounts of the AICF are clean and were passed at the annual general meeting. The accounts were duly audited by the official auditor who happens to be the auditor of the Federation President Dr Sanjay Kapoor.

He said for the Chess Olympiad that was held in Chennai, there was a five-member committee formed at the annual general meeting to oversee all processes of tendering and payments. "I was nowhere part of spending or allotting tender to anyone," Chauhan said.

Several chess players had told IANS that the AICF’s funds are contributed by the players under different heads and also the government gives various grants. Players said the administrators are fighting legal cases to settle personal scores with the funds contributed by the players and others instead of spending it on the development of the game and the players.

According to the AICF's annual accounts, it had spent a whopping Rs.79.91 lakh as legal expenses in FY23 up from Rs 50,52,450 in FY22 and Rs 18,20,300 spent in FY21. In FY20, the Indian chess body had spent Rs 20,60,050 as legal expenses. For the current fiscal-2023-24, AICF has budgeted Rs 50 lakh as legal expenses. Curiously, when asked for the break-up of legal expenses incurred by it under the Right to Information Act, the AICF had said the records had been damaged/destroyed by pests.

This information is gleaned from an order of Central Information Commission (CIC) on an appeal filed by a player Gurpreet Pal Singh.

The AICF had earlier told the Competition Commission that its records were destroyed by the Chennai floods in 2015, Singh had told IANS earlier.

Be that as it may, chess players expect at least the next set of chess administrators would look at the development of the game and the players. As to his expectations Arjuna Awardee and chess Grandmaster (GM) listed out the following to IANS: "AICF has offered cost-free week-long GM coaching camp to every state per year. But very few state associations are willing to accept this free offer. (1)The AICF should try to get this excellent scheme actually implemented by state associations.

"(2) The financial support to unemployed and unsponsored players with a rating above 2625 or 2650 should continue and to a larger number.

"(3) There should be many high prize money low entry-fee tournaments wherein 70-75% budget is spent as prizes as per absolute merit (performance) in open category alone. This is to support all the meritorious ones who don't need lavish lodging, air conditioned playing halls and are unable to play many tournaments with a big entry fee and lodging expenditure.

"(4) Tournaments for players below certain ratings result in non-merited players getting more money than merited ones and brings complacency in mediocrity.

"(5) Most of the schools, colleges and academies have untrained unqualified Chess Trainers/Coaches. AICF on its own and also through the state associations should create awareness about the FIDE Trainers' degrees and should follow up with schools to have Chess Coaches with merit criterion such as [i] FIDE TRG degree [ii] AICF CIS degree [iii] Players FIDE titles [iv] ELO Rating. A famous Chess Proverb is "No coach is better than a bad coach”.

"(5) The State Associations need to be questioned for non-participation in the National Team Championship, open category. Every State may not be able to send a women's team but in the open category, everyone should play."

"(6) A standard of 'a specific minimum allowance to team members' should be set for the State Associations for National Team Championship and other National Championships.

"(7) The State Selection Tournaments and the State School games Selection tournaments should have the same time control and similar tournament schedule as in their National and International counterparts," it said.