It is learnt that a few weeks back, the global governing body of chess, FIDE, sent an email to the AICF requesting that India return the trophy, so that it could be handed to the winners of the ongoing Chess Olympiad in Budapest on Sunday, after the end of Round 11.

It was only then that the current AICF administration, which took charge on March 10 this year, reportedly realised that the trophy was supposed to be in India. A search was then launched — at the AICF offices in New Delhi and Chennai, as well as the Chennai hotel where it was last seen. The previous AICF office-bearers were contacted, and even the players were asked if they had taken the trophy.

“Currently, we don’t know the whereabouts of the Gaprindashvili Cup. We’re trying very hard to locate it as it is a matter of national pride. We’re hopeful that our search will bear fruit,” AICF secretary Dev A Patel told The Indian Express.

“We have been searching for the cup for a few days now. The police have been informed. We hope to sort it out because it is a matter of the country’s prestige. It is a grave issue, and is very embarrassing for all of us,” Anil Kumar Raizada, a vice-president with the AICF, told The Indian Express. “The previous administration is giving replies that are not helpful at all to trace the trophy,” he said.

Another senior office-bearer of the AICF said they had looked through the records too, but to no avail. “We have also checked with the Tamil Nadu government and the state chess association. It was not handed to the current administration when we took over. We have no clue where it may possibly be. We have checked every possible location, even asked the players,” he said.

“There were no documents to show that it was in our possession. When we enquired with the previous management, they told us the trophy may be with the players… The players said they had not seen it. Some of the team staff said they were not even allowed near it,” the office-bearer said.

Financial irregularities in AICF being investigated

The senior AICF official, who requested anonymity, said the current AICF administration has appointed a retired High Court Judge to conduct a full investigation into various issues, including the missing trophy, missing documents, digital records and inventory. “We noticed some financial irregularities regarding AICF accounts… large amounts. So we appointed a retired HC Judge to look into it, besides the trophy,” he said.

When The Indian Express reached out to Bharat Singh Chauhan, former secretary of the AICF who was in charge at the time of the Chennai Olympiad, he said he was in hospital and refused to comment on the matter.

When contacted, FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky also declined to comment.

The winning team in the open section of the Chess Olympiad receives the ‘Hamilton-Russell Cup’; the winning team in the women’s section receives the ‘Vera Menchik Cup’. The winning team in the combined classification receives the ‘Nona Gaprindashvili Trophy’, which is named after the legendary Georgian chess player. The trophies are given on a rolling basis, meaning the winners hold it for two years until the next Olympiad is held.