Koneru Humpy, aged 37 has made a stunning comeback by winning the Rapid crown on Saturday. She scored 8.5 points in 11 rounds, narrowly avoiding an eight-player tie at the top. With this win, she became the second woman, after China’s Ju Wenjun, to win the title twice.
Reflecting on her journey, Humpy told Chessbase India, “I was playing badly and losing badly, which made me question myself. I was feeling low but decided to give this tournament a try. I’m happy it worked out.”
Koneru Humpy arrived at the Women’s World Rapid Chess in New York and made a strong comeback. Previously, she secured a bronze at the 2022 Olympiad with the top-seeded Indian team, and finished in the latter part of the Norway Classical event in June and the Tata Rapid meet in November. However, Humpy’s resilience was clear to win the Gold. Her journey shows the determination to bounce back stronger and achieve even greater success.
Humpy emphasized the mental challenge of bouncing back. “It’s not easy to fight back psychologically after so many losses, but I had the determination to prove myself,” she said. Her victory reinforces the belief that class and maturity matter more than age in women’s chess.
