Latest news with #Humpy
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Humpy starts as fourth seed in her bid to qualify for Candidates
Batumi , Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy has been seeded fourth and will start as one of the favourites in the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup, where the top three finishers will qualify for the Candidates' tournament. Humpy starts as fourth seed in her bid to qualify for Candidates China's Lei Tingjie, Jiner Zhu and Zhongyi Tan are the top three seeds. Along with Humpy they spearhead the Asian challenge in the section that has seen Asian dominance now for quite some time. The winner in the Candidates will earn the right to challenge reigning women's champion Wenjun Ju of China in the next championship. The top-21 rated players have been given a direct seeding in to the second round and the Indian list includes as many as four players – Humpy, GM D Harika, GM R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh among those. It is an interesting format wherein 86 players will compete under the knockout format and the 43 winners will be joined by the 21 seeded players to round it off to 64. Each round will be knockout with two classical games and one reserved day for the tie-break games of shorter duration to decide the winner. Apart from the four seeded players, Vantika Agrawal is the other Indian who can spring more than a few surprises while Padmini Rout and P V Nandhidhaa has an impressive resume to stake their claim to cause some upsets. Kiran Manisha Mohanty and K Priyanka complete the Indian line-up. On rating Lei Tingjie has been quite consistent but the rise of Jiner Zhu has been phenomenal in recent years. The Indian women team had won the last chess Olympiad ahead of China but still on rating the Chinese women have been higher ranked and thereby favourites. R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh are two young players who can find themselves at the top of the tables. Vaishali has already played one candidates' tournament and Divya recently defeated highest ranked woman player Yifan Hou, also from China, the world rapid and blitz team championship. Top pairings round 1: Carissa Yip Hannah Wilson ; Evi Yuliana Stavroula Tsolakidou ; Bella Khotenashvili Caxita Esperanca ; Ning Isabelle Yixuan Valentina Gunina ; Anna Ushenina Jesse February ; Ruelle Canino Anna Shukhman ; Yuxin Song Kiran Manisha Mohanty ; Tania Miranda Rodriguez Kulon Klaudia ; Azhar Puteri Munajjah Az-Zahraa Antoaneta Stefanova ; Zsoka Gaal K Priyanka ; Lala Shohradova Vantika Agrawal ; Padmini Rout Zhang Lanlin ; Ortiz Verdezoto Anahi P V Nandhidhaa . This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Balance and calm key to Humpy's upturn
Mumbai:There was a certain air of calm and ease around Koneru Humpy during the damp days of 2025 Norway Chess. She did not mind sparing some time for a chat with the visiting Indian media – a rarity among players there. She was one of the more interactive and intriguingly enthusiastic participants for the off-beat games at a getaway on the tournament's first rest day. The mindset reflected in how the 38-year-old felt about her chess in the same tournament this year compared to the last, as well as the end result. For parts of the event that ran from May 26 to June 6, Humpy was the frontrunner in a strong six-woman field that included world classical champion Ju Wenjun, world No.3 Lei Tingjie and world No.6 Anna Muzychuk. The Indian world No.6 eventually signed off third, yet not before notching up three classical wins and five draws from 10 games. In 2024, she finished fifth with a solitary classical win and three defeats. Humpy's upturn at Norway Chess epitomized her classical fortunes over the past 18 months. If 2024 was a freefall – she dropped the most rating points last year, incidentally, at Norway Chess – in her classical form, 2025 has been upbeat so far. The ignition would come in the form of the world rapid title that Humpy reclaimed last December after a gap of five years. It also picked up her momentum in classical. She finished joint leader at the FIDE Grand Prix in Monaco and won the Pune Grand Prix in April coming into Norway Chess. Currently competing at the Cairns Cup in USA's St. Louis, Humpy is tied for the lead after seven rounds. 'I'm very happy with the results, especially the latest ones – winning the World Rapid title and Grand Prix in Pune,' Humpy said. 'I was not expecting to get the second world title. I wasn't doing well last year. I was underperforming in many tournaments. Norway Chess, especially, was disastrous for me last year. 'I lost my ratings heavily, and dropped down in the world rankings too. With my recent two Grand Prix performances, I've regained my ratings. But still, I want to improve it further.' Humpy is currently rated 2543 in classical, up from 2523 a few months ago. For someone who achieved her peak rating of 2623 way back in 2009, the 38-year-old still carries the eagerness to arrest the slide, steady things and continue the demanding climb back up. 'It's always about the fighting spirit, and about not accepting defeats,' she said. 'You want to prove to yourself more than anyone else that you are the best. And that's what keeps me going still.' There was a point last year, especially after tournaments like Norway Chess and Tata Steel ended in disappointments, that Humpy contemplated giving up playing chess professionally. But her preference of heading back home after every tournament to her family and daughter came in handy. Competing in back-to-back tournaments in Norway and USA, she said, is a rare exception. ''When I lose, I don't sign up (for tournaments) quickly. I take time to recover and to work more. Sometimes it's very hard to come back from some losses. But for me, it's a bit different compared to the youngsters because I have a family and a young kid at home. Once I go back home, I'm completely relaxed and out of this chess world,' she said. Stepping back and taking a pause from that world at times is something even Viswanathan Anand has advised the young Indian chess stars aiming for the sky. It's easier said than done for some but for Humpy, she finds as much happiness staying at home as she does competing for ratings and titles around the globe. Even though her father may still be hooked to online chess daily, Humpy ensures she doesn't look at chess when home, 'sometimes for weeks'. 'I enjoy when I'm playing, but when not, I'm completely switched off,' she said. 'Sometimes I desperately want to take a break because I enjoy my time at home and spending time with my kid. Even before the family, I wasn't a player who liked playing a lot of tournaments in a row. I like going back and analysing all my games and getting refreshed for a new tournament.' It's a routine the world rapid champion has had in place for years. Recently, there was a little shake up when her father began sharing chess videos with her which she made a point of watching. Routines can be tough to tweak, especially for a 38-year-old who has done things a certain way for years. Humpy, though, welcomed the change and new ways to learn even at this stage of her career. 'Recently I've started seeing more chess videos on the internet, and also solving puzzles on a daily basis,' she said. 'It was not my routine before. It was challenging at first, no doubt. But once I got used to it, I started enjoying it even more than the regular stuff.'
India Gazette
07-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
"India is getting many new and good players...": Norway Chess women's champion Anna Muzychuk
Stavanger [Norway], June 7 (ANI): Ukrainian Grandmaster Anna Muzychuk, who secured the women's title at Norway Chess, spoke on her victory and opened on playing Indian chess legend Koneru Humpy as a child. Anna secured her maiden Norway Chess title, drawing in both classical and armageddon against Grandmaster Vaishali Rameshbabu, but it was still enough for her to seal the win with a total of 16.5 points, as per At the second spot was Lei Tingjie with 16 points while Humpy finished third with 15 points. With 11 points, Vaishali finished in fifth position. Speaking to ANI, Muzychuk said that, 'I am very happy. This tournament and this win mean a lot, and I think it is a great success.' On India's progress as a chess nation, Muzychuk said that while India is getting plenty of great players from the new generation, the older generation is still around and doing well. 'India is getting many new and good players from the new generation, but also from the older, like, Koneru Humpy. I played my first game with Koneru when I was seven years old and she was 10. It was 28 years ago... India is doing great in women's and men's competitions, and I think we will have many more players coming. It will always be challenging to play against them,' she concluded. Humpy, who finished third, did not beat grandmaster Ju Wenjun in the classical, but won the armageddon game, as per However, it was not enough for her to get the title. (ANI)
Indian Express
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Norway Chess Women: Vaishali Rameshbabu takes down women's world champion; Koneru Humpy surges into lead
It was on the first rest day of the Norway Chess tournament that Koneru Humpy couldn't stop grinning. She had tried her hand at rifle shooting among other things at a ranch during the Norway Chess Games, and had managed to hit a bullseye. Humpy was so chuffed at that shot that she had asked for the paper target as a keepsake. In two days, Humpy just might leave Norway's Stavanger with something more precious: the women's title at the super-elite championship. The 38-year-old surged into the lead on the second rest day of the Norway Chess women's tournament, staying one full point ahead of women's world champion Ju Wenjun and Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk. Humpy took down Spain's Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (better known as Sara Khadem) in the classical portion for the second time in the tournament to get three points in round 8 on Wednesday. And she had compatriot Vaishali Rameshbabu to thank for giving her the one point cushion, as India's latest woman to become a grandmaster had held on for a draw against the women's world champion from China, Ju Wenjun, before defeating her in the Armageddon. The format of Armageddon is such that the player with white pieces needs to win with 10 minutes on their clock while the player with black pieces has seven minutes to hold on to a draw. Humpy took a slender edge from the 22nd move (22. Bd3 Nc5) and never relinquished her grip on the game against the only International Master in the field of six women. Sara erred on move 35 (playing 35. Rd2 when engines showed that 35. e5 was the best move available). That move had given Humpy a significant edge and India's first woman to become a grandmaster wasn't going to miss. She remained a pawn up until the 58th move when the resignation arrived from Sara. Humpy now has Ju and another former world champion Lei Tingjie standing in her path to winning the title at Norway Chess. Vaishali held women's world champion Ju Wenjun to a draw with white pieces, which was a significant result considering the two players have a gulf of 99 rating points separating them. A game that saw the Berlin Defense in Ruy Lopez being employed never really heated up. For 37 moves from both players, the eval bar had its quietest night, never really needing to go this way or that. Then, in the Armageddon, with Vaishali needing to win with white pieces, both players played out the exact same 12 moves that they had played in the classical section. But on her 13th move, Ju opted to push forward her c pawn instead of putting pressure on Vaishali's ambitious knight with her bishop. The game ambled along without any player having an edge till the 32nd move, when Vaishali allowed Ju to pick off a pawn without any compensation. But on the next move, Vaishali pushed her own pawn on the f5 square (33.f5) which was her first significant breakthrough. Four moves later, Vaishali's pawn was bearing down on her king while two rooks and Vaishali's queen were standing as sentries on the three files at the end of the board to cut off escape lines. Ju resigned to give Vaishali a morale-boosting win. Vaishali is fifth in the six-women standings, just half a point behind Lei, with two rounds remaining. (The writer is in Stavanger at the invitation of Norway Chess. Matches are live-streamed on Sony LIV.) Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
New Indian Express
29-04-2025
- Sport
- New Indian Express
Challenging but still have the hunger to fight for world title: Humpy
CHENNAI: After winning the FIDE Women's Grand Prix in Pune last week, Grandmaster (GM) Koneru Humpy, 38, felt that her experience helped her claim the prize. Both Humpy and GM Jiner Zhu of China won their final rounds, scoring a total of 7 points out of nine rounds. The former defeated International Master (IM) Nurgyul Salimova of Bulgaria in the last round and won the 10-player single round-robin tournament due to a better tie-break score. Humpy gained 117.5 ranking points to move up to the second spot with 279.17. Humpy's latest success significantly boosts her chances of qualifying for the next Women's Candidates Tournament. The top two finishers with the most Grand Prix points at the end of the six-event series will feature in the marquee event. In an exclusive chat with The New Indian Express , she opened up about her ambitions of becoming a world champion, the difficulties in balancing motherhood and career and more. Excerpts... On her thoughts on winning the GP in Pune It was a wonderful feeling. Winning in front of the home crowd always makes it extra special. The crowd in Pune were very supportive. It was satisfying to see all the hard work paying off. On what got her through in the final I think consistency was the key. I managed to stay calm even during difficult situations and took one game at a time without thinking too far ahead. On the reason behind her good run in classical tournaments My experience helps in handling critical moments without panicking. On how she felt after winning the Women's World Rapid crown last year It was truly special. Winning a world title at any point of your career feels amazing, but balancing motherhood and career made it even sweeter. It was an emotional and proud moment for me. On her ambition of becoming a world champion in the classical format It's a challenging journey, especially with the younger generation coming up so strong, but I still have the hunger and motivation to fight for it. On R Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh's chances of touching 2600 They are both very talented and hardworking. Vaishali has shown great maturity in her recent tournaments and Divya has a fearless approach. They need to improve much further to reach 2600. It's a big challenge. On how she balances chess and motherhood It's definitely challenging. Time management becomes crucial, and you have to make a lot of adjustments both on and off the board. But at the same time, motherhood brings a different kind of joy and motivation. On whether her daughter, Ahana, is showing interest in Chess Right now, she is not very keen on playing chess. I want her to explore everything and find her own passion.
