Under 20 category chess gold medalist Arpita Mukherjee laments for not becoming International Master

Kolkata, July 11: Even after having clinched her maiden international gold medal Arpita Mukherjee, one of the country's prodigious chess player, did not seem ecstatic.

Speaking over phone from New Delhi where she won the gold medal in the under-20 category of Commonwealth Games Chess championship on Monday, Arpita remarked, 'I am obviously happy to have won my first international gold medal.'

'But I need to be women's International Master (WIM). I have got one WIM norm. I need two more WIM norms to become women's WIM."

The key reason behind 16-year old chess player's frustration is that despite having defeated the WIMs a couple of times in recent years, Arpita has not been able to become an WIM courtesy due to her financial crisis.

Her father Partha Mukherjee is a professional chess coach who works at Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy.

He said, 'Arpita has to participate in the Asian Chess Championship to become WIM. She was selected in the national under-18 and national under-19 chess teams for the two consecutive Asian



Championships.'

'The tournaments were held in Iran and in Kazakhstan respectively. But in the last moment All India Chess Federation (AICF) had asked me for nearly Rs 1 lakh rupees to take part in Iran and then for Kazakhstan the federation asked me to pay nearly rupees 1.5 lakh.'

'It was not possible for me to pay such hefty amount in one time. So Arpita had to cancel both the trips."

The fact was, Arpita became so frustrated that she asked her father about quitting the game.

Her father revealed, 'Arpita had rightly said as despite having defeated better players in different tournaments she was not being able to become IM. But I am also helpless. If federation asks for big amount I will not be able to pay in one time."

Arpita, after winning Commonwealth Chess gold has already qualified for the World Championship, to be held in Uruguay in September. Her father is as usually scared.

He said, 'If federation asks for hefty amount of money in the last moment then again Arpita may have to lose the opportunity."