FIDE Arbiters ´ Magazine – February 2016
changes , that the Time Control had also changed , to the internationally well-known 90 minutes for 40 moves + 30 minutes after that + 30 seconds per move from the first move .
In the very first round , IM Tania Sachdev fell victim to misunderstanding the actual time control , which was only 90 minutes + 30 seconds per move . At this point , there was an opportunity to revisit communications about time control , to reduce the risk of another needless loss on time . It is not clear from various reports whether this was done or not . Then in the fourth round , with a perfect 3-0 record so far , GM Koneru Humpy built a winning position , made her strong 44th move , and went to the bathroom . She simply expected upon her return to have had added to her time an extra 30 minutes , as they had passed 40 moves .
IM Tania Sachdev
GM Koneru Humpy
Of course , when she returned , she had lost on time , a very unfortunate turn of events . GM Humpy had won all of her first three games in less than 40 moves each , and she had not heard of how IM Sachdev had lost on time in the first round . Therefore , she was still genuinely shocked , and filed an appeal , against the Organizers , and especially the Arbiter ( s ) regarding “ poor communication skills ”. In addition , GM Humpy ’ s reference to withdrawing from the event was considered by some to be a “ threat ”. Following is her last letter to the event :
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