Banned’ Karnataka players get stay order

MUMBAI, August 18: Three of the four Karnataka players who are playing in the National B Chess Championships which began here today, need...

MUMBAI, August 18: Three of the four Karnataka players who are playing in the National B Chess Championships which began here today, needed a stay order from the Karnataka High Court on a “ban” imposed by the Karnataka State Chess Association (KSCA).

The Karnataka state association’s decision to ban the players was taken after the Karnataka Chess Players’ Forum (KCPF) made an official complaint to the State Directorate of Youth Affairs and Sports regarding mismanagement of funds by the KSCA.

Apparently, the players — N Sanjay, Arvind Shastri, Tej Kumar and Shivanand — were never issued an official letter regarding the ban’ and were only informed verbally by B S Somnath, KSCA president. All except Shivanand are playing this tournament.

When the players demanded a copy of the official letter, the KSCA informed them that the All-India Chess Federation (AICF) and the Maharashtra Chess Association (MCA) have been sent the communique.

The ban’ was imposed on the players who finished among the first four in the State Championship and were, in turn, eligible to play in the National B. The KSCA said that those who finished 5-8 in the State Championship would become eligible to play instead of the top four.

The players, lead by KCPF president Rajshekar, sought a stay on the ban and managed to get it on August 14.

The AICF secretary PT Ummer Koya, who was present for the opening round of the National B Championships, said: “The Karnataka High Court has asked us to treat the three players as special permit and we are honoring the court’s order.”