Koneru Humpy has made headlines again by winning her second World Rapid Chess Championship in 2024. Humpy, an Indian chess player, triumphed over Indonesia’s Irene Sukandar in the championship. This victory adds to India’s growing list of chess achievements, after D Gukesh became the world chess champion recently.
Humpy first won the World Rapid title in Georgia back in 2019. Now, she joins China’s Ju Wenjun as one of the only players to win the championship twice. Humpy is 37 years old, and her exciting win celebrated by chess fans everywhere. Notably, she received praise on social media from D Gukesh and even Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi!
Famous American chess player Hikaru Nakamura, recognized for his skills in Rapid and Blitz formats, praised Humpy’s fantastic performance. He compared her to legendary players Judith Polgar and Hu Yifan. “Humpy has been a strong player for many years and is doing really well,” Nakamura said.
In her journey, Humpy made history in 2002 by becoming the youngest female Grandmaster at just 15 years old, a record only surpassed by Hu Yifan. She is also India’s first female Grandmaster and has won many medals, including at the Olympiad and Asian Games.
Nakamura highlighted how chess has grown in India and mentioned the strong sponsorships that help players succeed. Like Arjun Erigaisi, who reportedly has a sponsorship deal worth $300,000 a year, many Indian grandmasters receive significant support.
Nakamura also pointed out that with help from local governments and the Chess Federation, Indian players can play chess out of love for the game rather than just to earn a living.
However, it’s worth mentioning that Nakamura previously accused Arjun of cheating, but this claim lacked evidence. Indian Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan shared that this accusation made Arjun feel sad, as he admired Nakamura.
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