India the unbeaten! Grandmaster Koneru Humpy becomes 2019 Women's World Rapid Champion
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Moscow, December 30: Indian grandmaster Koneru Humpy has become the 2019 Women's World Rapid Champion. She defeated China's Lei Tingjie in a dramatic final in Moscow, Russia.
After losing the opening game, Humpy made an impressive comeback and collected nine points each in 12 rounds to be tied with Tingjie. The duo then played a fierce game to break the deadlock. Tingjie finished with a silver, while Turkey's Ekaterina Atalik won bronze.
“Yes, honestly, I was expecting at the most a top three finish as there was no time for the preparations too for this event. Worked a bit on the Openings and I am glad to have pulled it off. It is not going to be easy for sure and this World championship is different from that. But I will continue to give my best shot to realise that goal too” says Humpy.
This is a significant triumph for Humpy who is India’s best-ever women’s chess player. She is more at ease in the classical format and was clearly trying to take her skills in the rapid format to a new level. Norway's Magnus Carlsen claimed the men's title.
Born on 31 March 1987 in Vijayawada, Humpy is India's youngest woman chess grandmaster player. In January 2010, her FIDE score was 2614 that gave her the second position (after Judget Polgar) in the world female chess player rankings. In 2003, she was awarded Arjuna Award while in 2007, she was awarded Padma Shri. In 2015, Humpy won a bronze medal in Women's World Team Chess Championship. In 2009-2011, 2011-12, 2013-14, and 2015-16 Koneru Humpy finished runner-up in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix series.