Unique | GM Koneru Humpy on her historic world fast title in New York: ‘No one anticipated me to win this’

Indian chess had arguably skilled its best 12 months until date in 2024. Not solely did D Gukesh turn into the youngest champion within the historical past of the Candidates Match
in addition to the World Championship, Arjun Erigaisi made historical past by changing into solely the second Indian to breach the 2800 ELO Ranking. As if that wasn’t sufficient, India ended up finishing a
historic golden sweep on the Chess Olympiad in Budapest in September, asserting itself as the brand new world energy within the sport within the course of.

It wasn’t simply the boys who had been reaching one historic feat after one other although. Ladies’s chess icon Koneru Humpy, who had turn into the primary Indian lady to attain the title of Grandmaster in chess and the seventh Indian total, made historical past in the direction of the 12 months through the World Speedy and Blitz Championships in New York Metropolis.

Regardless of beginning her girls’s fast marketing campaign with a defeat in opposition to Kazakhstani Worldwide Grasp Amina Kairbekova, the 37-year-old rapidly acquired again on her toes and propelled herself to the highest half of the standings with six wins and a draw within the subsequent seven video games, going stage with Chinese language GM Ju Wenjun and surging previous Russian GM Kateryna Lagno within the course of.

Humpy would go neck-and-neck with Wenjun of their subsequent couple of video games, and the 2 had been stage on 7.5 factors together with one other Indian GM Harika Dronavalli and three others forward of the eleventh and last spherical. Whereas everybody else performed out a stalemate to complete on 8 factors, Humpy sealed her historic triumph by defeating Indonesia’s Irine Sukandar in 67 strikes whereas enjoying with black items, ending with 8.5 factors.

Humpy had first been topped girls’s world fast champion through the 2019 Championship in Moscow, and in December,
turned solely the second participant after Ju to be topped girls’s world fast champion greater than as soon as. A 12 months that had witnessed Indian children dominate headlines for probably the most half capped off completely with a veteran making a triumphant return to the highest.

Humpy charges second world fast title as her high achievement

Talking solely to Firstpost, Humpy described her victory on the ‘Massive Apple’ on the very high when it got here to rating it amongst her best achievements until date, extra so as a result of few anticipated her to go so far as she did.

“This is among the greatest achievements most likely I ought to place this on high as a result of no person anticipated me to win this. It’s very uncommon like when you’re already 37 and your profession graph is falling down a bit. So individuals don’t anticipate you to turn into a world champion. So at this level profitable it very comfortably, yeah, positively it stays on the highest.

“And in addition the 2019 World Speedy is a really essential one as a result of I performed it after a break of virtually one-and-a-half 12 months from my maternity break and profitable the title can be, it form of motivated me to spend extra time on chess and like changing into the youngest grandmaster approach again in 2002 and profitable the Asian gold medals in 2006, they’re sure recollections which like can’t be uncared for however positively this fast title stays because the precedence,” Humpy, who had not too long ago been appointed model ambassador of SOG Grandmaster Collection, informed Firstpost.

When the Indian Nationwide anthem was performed in New York! The moments when GM Koneru Humpy was topped because the Ladies’s World Speedy Chess Champion 2024.#chess #chessbaseindia #koneruhumpy #worldchampion pic.twitter.com/rLug73NERC

— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) January 1, 2025

It wasn’t actually the preparation for the occasion that mattered for her as a lot as having the correct mindset, which in the end made the distinction. Humpy, who has been enjoying chess from the age of six and has been coached by her father Ashok since childhood, added that it was that mindset that allowed her to struggle again from a loss within the very first spherical and finally end because the outright winner, and never by way of tie-breaks like in 2019 in opposition to China’s Lei Tingjie.

“I consider it’s all in regards to the mindset as a result of I’ve been getting ready for a few years and particularly earlier than the world fast I had a drastic failure in Tata Metal Chess. So I had round a month break between these two tournaments, and in these days I had a really considerate planning like proceed for the fast occasion, and fast and blitz. And in addition I made positive that I didn’t use laptop computer very similar to I used to be extra of a sensible individual throughout that interval doing fixing puzzles following all of the earlier video games of the world champions and all.

“In order that was the steering given to me by my father. I believe that is among the causes and my mindset was the I believe key level as a result of once I misplaced the primary sport, I used to be very a lot decided to return again and you recognize, I used to be very alert in taking over the alternatives every time it comes. So that actually helped me to win the title,” Humpy, who had gained the Arjuna Award in 2003 and Padma Shri in 2007, added.

No regrets, says Humpy on skipping historic Olympiad marketing campaign

For Humpy, taking a break on the proper time was an necessary contributing issue in the direction of her triumph within the World Speedy Championship apart from her mindset. Sadly in her case, a break meant lacking out on India’s marketing campaign on the Chess Olympiad in September. Humpy was a part of the Indian contingent that had gained a historic bronze within the ‘Open’ in addition to the ‘Ladies’ sections within the earlier Olympiad two years in the past in Chennai, and was anticipated to guide the ladies’s staff’s cost for a maiden gold within the Hungarian capital two years later.

Humpy, nonetheless, determined to withdraw from the occasion citing her hectic workload in addition to private causes, opting to maintain herself contemporary for her journey to New York in December as an alternative. In her absence, Harika was the senior determine within the girls’s staff together with IM Tania Sachdev. It additionally had GM R Vaishali, IMs Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal as they ended up profitable gold together with the Open staff that was led by Gukesh and Arjun.

Reflecting on her resolution to drag out of the Olympiad, Humpy insists she has no regrets whereas including that her withdrawal might need not directly helped her win the fast title three months later.

“I had a really packed up schedule and on the similar time as a consequence of some private causes I needed to keep again at dwelling throughout that interval. So I don’t remorse the selections I take as a result of I all the time consider that no matter occurs is the most effective. Most likely I missed the Olympiad. In order that was the rationale that I did properly within the World Speedy. So I by no means take these issues as you recognize errors or one thing, like no matter comes within the stream of life, I simply go forward with that.”

Humpy had already established herself as one of many greats of the sport lengthy earlier than her historic feat in New York. Nevertheless, her newest triumph comes at a time when Indian chess gamers are receiving consideration and fanfare like by no means earlier than. For Humpy, getting seen and approached at airports and receiving widespread reward for a second fast title definitely is a sense that she wouldn’t complain about. It was additionally the right approach for her to finish what was a blended 12 months, one the place she had “struggled quite a bit”.

“Effectively as a participant I had a really blended 12 months like I began the Candidates with the second place. However then I struggled quite a bit in a lot of the tournaments. However in the direction of the top, I once more gained the World Speedy Championship. I might say like, most likely profitable this match is the most important affect within the Indian Chess as a result of from then onwards, I see like, even once I’m within the airport or in public locations, individuals begin coming to me and saying that profitable for the second time is kind of a troublesome job and so they begin appreciating me.

“So someplace I believe most likely everyone understood the efforts I’ve put in from these a few years to maintain right here. So I believe that has a bigger affect, particularly on the ladies gamers and the youthful technology,” stated Humpy, who at the moment has her sights set on enhancing her Classical score and qualifying for the Candidates Match in 2026.

‘I nonetheless keep in mind enjoying a lot of Olympiads with out having a correct staff’

Reflecting on the expansion of ladies’s chess from the time she first began enjoying within the late Nineties to the current day, Humpy reminisced a couple of time when she used to compete in Olympiads and not using a correct staff, and the way the tables have turned since then.

“Oh, it’s a drastic improvement, I might say, as a result of I nonetheless keep in mind enjoying a lot of Olympiads with out having a correct staff. Solely possibly one or two boards we had robust gamers, however our opponents would all the time goal on the decrease boards. So that is how we’re. However now at the moment we’re on the opposite aspect, like we’re able to focus on our opponents on these boards. In order that approach the variety of girls gamers has elevated and the kids are enhancing additional.

“Undoubtedly evaluating with the boys, the proportion continues to be very low. I believe this wants a particular consideration in order that sooner or later we’ll not lack of getting extra girls gamers,” stated Humpy, who had damaged the legendary Judit Polgar’s document to turn into the youngest lady GM in 2002 at 15 years, 1 month and 27 days (which has since been surpassed by Hou Yifan).

And on her affiliation with the SOG Grandmasters, which options occasions resembling distinctive occasions resembling blindfold chess and rummy and is at the moment going down on a zonal foundation earlier than shifting on to the nationwide finals, Humpy described it as having “all of the intellectuals underneath one roof”.

“I’m very joyful to be related to them. So that is the primary sequence the place you will have a chess, blindfold chess and in addition rummy going down collectively. And we have now all of the intellectuals underneath one roof. So, positively my addition to this occasion, I consider that can encourage numerous children and the chess lovers who’re like very eager on studying the sport.

“And I believe the SOG is doing an awesome factor in selling the game as a result of although all of us are conscious of the skilled gamers, we don’t actually take into consideration the approaching up technology like give the help to them or give a platform for them. So SOG is doing giving that form of a platform the place they might compete and carry out,” she signed off.