Latest news with #Humpy
India Gazette
5 hours ago
- 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
3 days ago
- 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.
Indian Express
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
FIDE Women's Grand Prix Leaderboard: Humpy jumps to second after winning Pune leg; Goryachkina on top; Zhu Jiner third
India finest women's chess player, Koneru Humpy edged out China's Zhu Jiner to win the Pune leg of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix on Wednesday. After beating Nurgyul Salimova in the ninth (and final) round, Humpy finished on equal points — 7.0/11 — with Zhu but the Indian had the better tiebreaks between the two to clinch the trophy. She also racked up 117.5 crucial Grand Prix points, rising to the second spot behind Aleksandra Goryachkina with a total of 279.17 points after her three events. All players can play up to a maximum of three tournaments in this Women's Grand Prix cycle. In the Shymkent (Kazakhstan) leg, Humpy was tied for the fifth-sixth position and gained 55 GP rating points. In Monaco, she was in joint lead with Grand Prix leader Russia Aleksandra Goryachkina and Mongolia's Batkhuyag Munguntuul to earn 106.67 points. Goryachkina also completed her three rounds and sits comfortably with 308.34 points. After the 2025 Women's World Cup, the Grand Prix series is the most high-profile tournament in this cycle, with two Candidates spots at stake. The Pune event, which has an €80,000 (77 lakh) prize fund, is the fifth of six events in the 2024-2025 Women's Grand Prix cycle. Based on the event's final standings, players also earn Grand Prix points. The two with the most points at the end of the series get spots in the next Women's Candidates Tournament. Zhu (235 points from two events), Anna Muzychuk (189.17 points from two events) and Tan Zhongyi (170 points from two events) are still in the running for the top two spots, with Zhu being the frontrunner to even finish on top. She has played the Nicosia (Cyprus) and Pune leg and finished joint top in both events. All she need is a mid-table finish to confirm her second spot at Humpy's cost. FIDE Women's Grand Prix Leaderboard after Pune Leg Rank Player Tbilisi Shymkent Monaco Nicosia India Austria Total 1 Aleksandra Goryachkina — 130 106.67 71.67 — — 308.34 2 Koneru Humpy — 55 106.67 — 117.5 — 279.17 3 Zhu Jiner — — — 117.5 117.5 235 4 Bibisara Assaubayeva 105 77.5 15 — — — 197.5 5 Anna Muzychuk 71.67 — — 117.5 — 189.17 6 Divya Deshmukh — 55 — 40 85 — 180 7 Stavroula Tsolakidou 71.67 77.5 — 25 — — 174.17 8 Harika Dronavalli — — 35 71.67 65 — 171.67 9 Tan Zhongyi — 105 65 — — 170 10 Alina Kashlinskaya 130 — — — 20 — 150 11 Batkhuyag Munguntuul — 15 106.67 — 20 — 141.67 12-13 Nana Dzagnidze 71.67 — — 50 — 121.67 12-13 Mariya Muzychuk 50 — — 71.67 — 121.67 14 Kateryna Lagno — 40 65 — — — 105 15-16 Alexandra Kosteniuk 35 — 50 — — 85 15-16 Vaishali Rameshbabu 35 — — — 50 85 17 Nurgyul Salimova — 30 — — 40 70 18 Polina Shuvalova — — — — 65 — 65 19 Sarasadat Khademalsharieh 10 — 35 — — — 45 20 Elisabeth Pähtz — 15 15 10 — — 40 21 Olga Badelka — — — 25 — 25 22-23 Lela Javakhishvili 20 — — — — 20 22-23 Salome Melia — — — — 20 — 20 24 Lei Tingjie — — — — — — 25 Regina Pokorná — — — — — —
Time of India
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Koneru Humpy pips China's Zhu Jiner for Grand Prix title
Humpy pips Zhu for GP title Pune: Very little separated top seed Koneru Humpy and China's Zhu Jiner , title contenders and co-leaders of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix on Wednesday. The positions in the last-round games after four hours of play, on two different boards, all agreed that there was nothing much in between. Both endgames (Humpy vs Nurgyul Salimova and Polina Shuvalova vs Zhu Jiner) saw rook, knight and pawns each, with both Humpy and Zhu enjoying extra and better-placed pawns. Though Zhu exchanged knights and Humpy rooks, both ended up on the winning side to tally seven points after nine rounds. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! So then? Humpy was declared champion according to tiebreak rules, since she played more games with black pieces – five to the Chinese's four. In addition, she had defeated Jhu in the seventh round and was also the only undefeated player in this GP, one of rather moderate standing with an average rating of 2454 Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like News For Jack Nicholson, 87, He Has Been Confirmed To Be... Reportingly Undo In terms of prize money and points, however, both were placed on level terms – earning 117.50 GP points and 15,500 euros each (appx Rs 15 lakh each). Humpy was tied first with two others in the third leg at Monaco GP and Zhu had shared first place with Anna Muzhychuk in the fourth leg in Cyprus. 'I could not sleep well the day before because of the mosquitos and the 8th round (vs Alina Kashlinskaya) was bad for me. I was lucky to escape with a draw,' Humpy said later, 'But overall, I believe that luck favours the better player. The 38-year-old revealed that winning the World Rapid title last year motivated her. After a belowpar show in classical chess last year, her form so far in the long form of the game this year has been heartening. Having missed playing the gold-winning women's Olympiad team for personal reasons last year, Humpy proved beyond doubt that she is still the best woman player from India. India's wild card Divya Deshmukh (Elo 2460) finished third with 5.5 points, despite her 13.5 points (50% score) in 27 GP games indicating moderate returns.
