India’s Humpy clinches second world Rapid Chess Championship title

NEW YORK: India’s chess icon Koneru Humpy secured her second World Rapid Chess Championship title, defeating Indonesia’s Irene Sukandar in a thrilling final in New York on Sunday. The 37-year-old had previously won the prestigious event in 2019 in Georgia, making her the only player besides China’s Ju Wenjun to achieve the feat twice. Humpy concluded the tournament with an impressive score of 8.5 out of 11 points, reaffirming her status as India’s No. 1 female chess player.

In the men’s section, 18-year-old Volodar Murzin of Russia claimed the title, becoming the second-youngest FIDE World Rapid Champion in history. The record is still held by Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who won the championship at the age of 17.

Humpy’s triumph caps a remarkable year for Indian chess, following D Gukesh’s victory over reigning world champion Ding Liren in the classical World Championship held in Singapore.