Koneru Humpy grabs historic women's World Rapid Chess Championship title
New Delhi: In a remarkable achievement for Indian chess, Grandmaster Koneru Humpy secured the FIDE Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in a stunning victory over Indonesia's Irene Sukandar on Sunday. This triumph marks Humpy's second World Rapid Chess title, making her only the second player after China's Ju Wenjun to achieve multiple victories in this prestigious event.
The victory caps an extraordinary year for Indian chess, following D Gukesh's historic win against China's Ding Liren in the Classical World Championship in Singapore. This success comes on the heels of India's unprecedented double gold medals in both Open and Women's categories at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest this September.
Despite a challenging start with a first-round defeat, Humpy demonstrated exceptional resilience throughout the tournament. Her crucial win in the eleventh and final round propelled her to the top spot with 8.5 points, finishing half a point ahead of six other competitors, including fellow Indian D Harika. China's Ju Wenjun claimed second place after tie-break calculations, while Russia's Kateryna Lagno secured third position.
"I'm very excited and happy. This is quite unexpected because the whole year I have been struggling and had very bad tournaments where I just ended up in last place," said the 37-year-old champion. After falling to 2.5 points in four rounds, Humpy staged a remarkable comeback, winning four consecutive games on the second day.
The seasoned grandmaster attributed her success to her family's unwavering support, particularly highlighting the role of her parents in caring for her daughter during tournaments. "It's not easy to become a World Champion at 37. It's quite difficult when you get older to keep that motivation and stay sharp when required," she reflected.
In the open section, 18-year-old Russian Grandmaster Volodar Murzin emerged victorious in a star-studded field. His crucial moment came in the penultimate round against India's R Praggnanandhaa, where he capitalised on a single-move blunder to secure the lead.
Murzin finished with 10 points, followed by fellow Russians Alexander Grischuk and Ian Nepomniachtchi with 9.5 points each. Looking ahead, Humpy believes her victory will inspire the next generation of Indian chess players. “I think it’s high time for India. We also have Gukesh as world champion and now I got the second world title in the rapid event. This will motivate a lot of youngsters to take up chess professionally,” she concluded, highlighting the bright future of Indian chess.
