Vipnesh Bhardwaj appointed as interim secretary of All India Chess Federation

Vipnesh Bhardwaj was on Friday appointed as the interim secretary of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) by president Sanjay Kapoor after the election to the post of Bharat Singh Chauhan was stayed by the Delhi High Court.

Also read: Sakshi wins gold with a dazzling performance at the UWW Ranking Series event

Sources said the appointment of AICF vice-president Bhardwaj as interim secretary is in accordance with the law.

As per the bye-laws of AICF, the vacancies of office bearers which may arise due to resignation, death or otherwise, shall be filled by the Speaker and such nominee shall hold office till the next General Body Meeting (GBM).

AICF will hold its GBM on June 11 at Mahabalipuram near Chennai to decide on various issues, including the appointment of the secretary.

Sources said the court’s order will not affect the preparations for the 44th Chess Olympiad to be held at Mahabalipuram near Chennai, for which Chauhan is the tournament director. He indicated that Chauhan would continue his work as Olympiad Tournament Director.

Also read: Why Chhetri wants India to send its U-23 team for SAIF Championship

“The court’s order will have no bearing on the organizational work of the Chess Olympiad, for which Bharat Chauhan is the tournament director,” sources said.

The court’s order came on Thursday on a case filed by RN Dongre, challenging Chauhan’s election as AICF secretary.

Read all the latest news, breaking news and IPL 2022 live updates here.