Vantika Agrawal withdraws from 3rd President Cup A in Uzbekistan citing arbiter’s error

Indian chess prodigy and International Master Vantika Agrawal made headlines by withdrawing midway from the 3rd International President Cup A in Uzbekistan. The young star, who was part of the Indian women's team that triumphed at the Chess Olympiad earlier this year, expressed her dismay over an arbiter's error that misreported her game result and impacted the tournament pairings.

Frustrated with the situation and the lack of immediate rectification, Vantika decided she could not continue under such circumstances.

The incident has sparked a debate on the shortcomings of FIDE's regulations, which currently prevent the alteration of pairings once they are published. Vantika Agrawal, who had a solid start to the tournament with 1.5 points out of a possible 2, faced an uphill battle after her third-round game was incorrectly marked as a loss despite her submitting the correct scoresheet.

The situation escalated when her efforts to get the error corrected were denied by the arbiters, prompting her to pull out of the competition.

"I have withdrawn from the tournament. I can’t continue playing in a tournament where wrong result and pairings has been published because of arbiter’s fault and there is no way to correct it inspite of immediate information. There is no guarantee that this will not happen again," Vantika stated on her X account.

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Vantika Agrawal subject of arbiter’s mistake in Uzbekistan

The error occurred after Vantika Agrawal drew her third-round game and submitted the scoresheet with the correct result. However, the arbiter mistakenly recorded it as a loss. Upon noticing the error, Vantika immediately approached the organizers, seeking a correction.

Despite her prompt action, the arbiters refused to amend the published results, citing FIDE's rule that once pairings are released, they cannot be altered. The emotional toll of the incident was evident, as Vantika described the ordeal as "stressful." In an Instagram post, she wrote:

“If it is the arbiter’s mistake, why should I suffer? I have spent a lot of money to play this tournament.”

Although there was a chance her half-point could be reinstated after the fourth round, Vantika Agrawal remained dissatisfied with the incident's handling. She called for a review of FIDE’s rules to prevent such occurrences in the future.

"FIDE should change this rule with immediate effect. This time I am the victim, next time anyone else could be. I don’t want anyone to suffer like me. If anyone is fighting for a GM norm, such mistakes can easily affect their chances. Because of this FIDE rule, the arbiter can change the result or pairing anytime at their will and claim it’s FIDE’s rule that pairings can’t be changed," Vantika was quoted as saying by The Bridge.

The incident has highlighted the need for safeguarding players against administrative mistakes. With stakes rising in competitive chess, especially for players chasing norms or titles, incidents like this serve as a stark reminder of the need for updated rules. It remains to be seen if this episode prompts FIDE to implement necessary changes.