The world of chess has been witnessing a remarkable revolution, and at the forefront of this transformation stands India. On December 29, Koneru Humpy brought glory to the nation as she claimed the FIDE Women’s World Rapid Chess Championship title 2024 in New York. She defeated Irene Sukandar of Indonesia, finishing the tournament with 8.5 out of 11 points. Impressively, Humpy made history as the second in the world - after China's Ju Wenjun - to become the women's world champion more than once. She had earlier won the 2019 championship in Georgia.
India's Chess Dominance In 2024
Humpy's win comes days after 18-year-old Gukesh D made India proud by winning the World Chess Championship 2024. He became the youngest player in the world to ever claim this victory. In September, India created history as they won their first-ever gold medals in both women's and open events at the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
Chess, or Shatranj as it is known in India, has witnessed a remarkable resurgence in the country, especially since the pandemic when online tournaments were popularised. According to chess.com, India has experienced a staggering 400% growth in overall users since 2019, with the number of Indian grandmasters soaring from 55 to an impressive 84.
"Didn't Expect This Win"
Adding another feather to India's chess fraternity cap this year was no light work, claimed Koneru Humpy in her post-match press meet. "It is very special. In fact, I didn’t expect to win it because the competition was too high. Today morning, I felt that it could go to a tie-breaker. But things turned out in my favour as none of the other competitors won their final rounds. That cleared the path for me and incidentally, I was aware of winning the title after I finished the game," she said.
"It is not easy to win a world title when you are 37 and also a mother of a seven-year-old. It is quite a challenge because there is fierce competition around. There are many young chess players who can beat any player in the world. In shorter time control, you need to have a lot of energy. I’m happy that I made it,” she said.
Humpy expressed, "After Candidates, I struggled a lot. I even ended up in last place in the previous two tournaments. I was very low at the start of this tournament. There were thoughts of whether it is time to quit the game. I had to struggle to win this world title. I was 10th seed in this competition. This is one of my memorable victories."
The Indian Grandmaster has put India on the global chess map at several tournaments. Yet, the pressure to consistently improve continues to motivate her. "I hate losing and never wanted to end up as a loser. I always wanted to win and become the No. 1 player. I think that motivated me despite my poor run-up to this tournament."
Who Is Koneru Humpy?
Koneru Humpy is an Indian chess player and an awardee of the Padmashree and Arjuna awards. Among all her rewards, in 2002, Humpy became the youngest woman ever to achieve the title of Grandmaster at the age of 15 years.
- Koneru Humpy made history by winning the silver medal at the FIDE World Blitz Chess Championships in 2022. She became the first Indian woman to medal at this prestigious tournament. With an impressive score of 12.5 points, Koneru finished just half a point behind the gold medal winner, Bibisara Balabayeva of Kazakhstan. Koneru secured the silver medal by beating China’s Zhongyi Tan.
- She also won three gold medals at the World Youth Chess Championship in 1997. She also won the British Women's Championship in 2000 and 2002.
- Another impressive major tournament performance came at the 8th Gibraltar Chess Festival in 2011. Koneru finished half a point behind a group of leaders that included several 2700-rated GMs like Michael Adams, Gata Kamsky, Francisco Vallejo Pons, and Etienne Bacrot.
- Humpy also followed in world champion Judith Polgar’s footsteps as a 20-year-old, when she became only the second female player to cross 2600 on the rating list.
- She is from Andhra Pradesh and was also a part of the Indian squad that won the Online Chess Olympiad in 2020. Along with it, she has qualified for the International Chess Federation's (FIDE) Women’s Candidates event next year.
- In 2021, Koneru Humpy was nominated for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
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