New York: Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy was crowned as World Rapid Chess Champion on Sunday in the tournament held in New York. The 37-year-old became only the second chess player after Ju Wenjun of China to emerge triumphant in the women’s section on multiple occasions.
Humpy secured the title by defeating Irene Sukandar in the final round with black pieces. It was a crucial win for the Indian player who needed nothing less than a win to be crowned as champion. She finished at the top of the points table with 8.5 out of 11 points in an impressive performance in the World Rapid Championship. The occasion marks her second title win after her victory in 2019 in Georgia in this format.
👏 Congratulations to 🇮🇳 Humpy Koneru, the 2024 FIDE Women’s World Rapid Champion! 🏆#RapidBlitz #WomenInChess pic.twitter.com/CCg3nrtZAV
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 28, 2024
The 18-year-old Volodar Murzin of Russia won the title in the men's section. He became the second-youngest FIDE World Rapid Champion after Nodirbek Abdusattorov who was crowned as champion at the age of 17.
From the Indian perspective, it has been a phenomenal year in Chess as the title triumph of Humpy comes weeks after D Gukesh became the World Champion by beating Ding Liren. He became only the second Indian to win the tournament after Viswanathan Anand.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 FIDE Women's World Championship! 👏
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) December 28, 2024
🥇Humpy Koneru
🥈Ju Wenjun
🥉Kateryna Lagno#RapidBlitz #WomenInChess pic.twitter.com/TJ77lzIp7O
Humpy first displayed her potential in the 2012 edition of the tournament by winning a bronze medal in Moscow. However, in 2019 she displayed sensational gameplay to win the title by beating China's Lei Tingjie in Batumi, Georgia. The Indian Grandmaster won a silver medal in the 2023 edition.
Apart from her achievements in rapid chess, Humpy has impressed in the other formats as well. She bagged a silver medal in the 2022 Women's World Blitz Chess Championship and also ensured a second-place finish in the Women's Candidates Tournament in 2024.
