Feud ends as AICF & CAI set to merge

Lucknow: Putting an end to internal fighting, the All-India

Chess Federation and the breakaway Chess Association of

India on Saturday announced that they have merged into one single entity to administer the

sport in the country. Players and administrators welcomed the move and said it would pave way for the development of the sport. AICF president Sanjay Kapoor said that the warring factions,

not only at the national level but also in various states, have now come together under the

umbrella of the federation. “I have personally had several

rounds of talks with all the stakeholders and have brought everybody on the same platform for the development of chess and all the chess players in the country,” Kapoor was quoted as saying in a press

release. “Like other federations, we too are struggling to organise our

annual events and championships due to the Covid pandemic and could not afford to

let our internal differences derail the sport even more,” he

added. AICF secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan said, “Once we formed the new body, one of our first

goals was to address all the concerns of every member and bring everybody together for

the sake of the sport.” Apart from the wrangling at the national level, chess has suffered a great deal in Uttar Pradesh too, with two different bodies — UP Chess Association

and UP Chess Sports Association — at loggerheads in the state.

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