Bhubaneswar, May 10 -- Grandmaster Abhijeet Gupta, an Arjuna Award recipient and Chess Olympiad medallist, formally sought the intervention of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports regarding an unresolved financial dispute.

Despite securing the championship at the Odisha Open in January 2026, the player reported that multiple commitments from the event's hosts failed to materialise. This public appeal follows what Gupta described as a critical failure in administrative transparency and a lack of accountability within the sport's governing framework.

According to India Today, the interruption in prize disbursements is a direct consequence of escalating friction within the Odisha chess association. The regional body is reportedly paral...