CHENNAI: India were held to an unexpected 3-3 draw by Mongolia in Round 6 of the Online Chess Olympiad on Saturday. Vidit Gujrathi and Koneru Humpy suffered defeats and cited the internet and power supply problems. It can be noted that the All India Chess Federation (AICF) has not done anything to ensure connectivity and power don’t cause disruptions.
“I was in a strong position with about 20 seconds to go when the power went off,” said Gujrathi.
“We are having issues with internet also. I use a BSNL connection, plus a back-up provided by a friend because BSNL can be unpredictable. I had to use the back-up today in the first game as well as in the third game,” added the captain of the Indian team who is based in Nasik.
Strange things happen in sports, but World No 24 Gujrathi was unlikely to lose to No 1203 Sumiya Bilguun in normal circumstances.
Similarly surprising was Humpy’s loss against Bathkuyag Muguntuul. Mongolia is hardly a chess entity, while India is seeded seventh in the meet.
“Electricity supply in our locality was stopped shortly after 4 pm for some repair work, when my game was going on. I tried reconnecting with a dongle, but it was too late by then and I lost the game. I didn’t face such problems during the Online Nations Cup a few months back, but this is a risk involved with online competitions,” said Humpy.
The AICF secretary BS Chauhan could not be contacted. Vijay Deshpande, who is the secretary according to the faction led by president PR Venketrama Raja, said the matter will be looked into.
“Had the players told us anything about this earlier, we could have done something. Now that this has happened, I will have a word with other AICF officials,” he said.In Pool A, India are second with 11 points, behind China (12) and ahead of Germany (9).