India’s Koneru Humpy secured her second World Rapid Chess Championship title in a landmark achievement, defeating Indonesia’s Irene Sukandar on Sunday.
Humpy, who first won the championship in 2019 in Georgia, is now only the second player after China’s Ju Wenjun to claim the title multiple times. The 37-year-old Indian chess star concluded the tournament with an impressive 8.5 points from 11 rounds.
“I’m thrilled and overjoyed,” said Humpy after her victory, which she began with the black pieces. “I expected a tough day, possibly with tie-breaks, but it was a tense moment when the arbitrator confirmed my win. This came as a surprise because I’ve struggled throughout the year, finishing at the bottom in several tournaments.”
Humpy’s triumph adds to an exceptional year for Indian chess, following D Gukesh’s victory over China’s Ding Liren to claim the classical World Championship in Singapore. In September, India secured its first-ever gold medals in the Open and Women’s categories at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
Reflecting on her performance, Humpy admitted she didn’t anticipate winning after a first-round defeat. “After losing the first game, I wasn’t thinking about the title. But things turned around, especially with my four consecutive wins yesterday,” she said.
Humpy also faced challenges unrelated to the game, citing the significant time difference between India and the USA. “Adjusting to the time zone was tough. I’ve barely slept properly since arriving, but I’m happy I managed to overcome it,” she said.
Humpy has a stellar record at the Rapid Worlds, having won bronze in 2012 in Moscow and silver last year in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. She believes her success will inspire more Indians to pursue chess professionally.
“This is a pivotal moment for India, especially with Gukesh’s classical world title and my rapid win. I hope this motivates many young players to take up chess seriously,” Humpy concluded.
In the men’s category, 18-year-old Volodar Murzin from Russia claimed the title, becoming the second-youngest FIDE World Rapid Champion. He follows Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who won the title at 17.