Chess star Koneru Humpy targets Asian Games, World Cup

“I feel I am surviving at the top level because of my experience. There are a lot of youngsters coming up, but so far I have managed.”

Koneru Humpy, unassuming to a fault, has more than just survived as a chess player. The 36-year-old is world No. 2 in women’s classic chess rating, and she was the youngest woman to become Grandmaster in 2002. She won gold in the world rapid championship in 2019 and silver in the world blitz championship in 2022. She was a member of the Indian women’s team that won bronze at the 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai last year.

Humpy has been the flag-bearer of Indian women's chess for two decades now. Her priorities are gradually changing though. As the mother of a five-year-old girl, she is far more selective in choosing tournaments.

“Personally, it is a bit difficult to spend more time on chess (these days),” said Humpy during a virtual interaction ahead of the Global Chess League beginning in Dubai on June 22. “In my younger days, I used to spend 8-9 hours on chess every day. Now, my lifestyle is completely different. When I am home, I need to spend time with my daughter and the family. If I have an important event, I make sure I spend 15-20 days before it entirely on chess. Or else, I work 1-2 hours a day just to stay in touch.”

This is a year where Humpy will have to pay more attention to fine-tuning her moves on the chess board. “The Asian Games and the World Cup are the two major events I will prioritise this year,” she said.

But before that, she will take part in the inaugural Global Chess League, a six-team rapid tournament that brings together the best players in the world. Humpy is part of Upgrad Mumba Masters, alongside Vidit Gujrathi, Harika Dronavalli, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Alexander Grischuk and Javokhir Sindarov.

“If it’s an individual event, it is just about your result. Here, even if the position is not too comfortable to prolong, the situation may be such in other boards that you have to take certain risks. Team events are a bit tricky, but it’s also more relaxed. You always have a group of people surrounding you and you can interact more. I personally feel there is less pressure in a team event,” she said.

The tournament is akin to the myriad franchise-based leagues mushrooming across sport. “This event is being organised in a very different manner. Definitely it will attract more sponsors in the time to come. It will also give chess more visibility. During the pandemic, the online spectators have increased drastically. After this league, I also expect a lot of improvement,” said Humpy.

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