
Koneru Humpy On 2nd World Rapid Title, Indian 'Golden Era' And Tips For Improvers
GM Koneru Humpy won the 2024 FIDE Women's World Rapid Chess Championship, her second time winning the world-class event. The 37-year-old also finished ninth in the Swiss portion of the FIDE Women's World Blitz Chess Championship 2024, just barely missing entry to the Knockout stage. Her achievement comes hot on the heels of other great Indian accomplishments in recent months.
Chess.com's India Content Lead CM Sahil Tickoo interviewed Humpy and discussed topics such as her performance at the FIDE World Rapid & Blitz, the "golden era" for Indian chess, her father's great impact, as well as grandmaster secrets that can help other chess players improve.
You can watch the video below or you can scroll down and read the full transcript. Enjoy!
Sahil:
Humpy, ma'am, congratulations on winning gold at the World Rapid Chess Championship. It's such an honor to be on this call with you right now.
Humpy:
Thank you so much. It's a pleasure for me as well.
Sahil:
Ma'am, how was your experience playing in New York, so far away from home, so many time zones apart? How was the overall experience?
Humpy:
Yeah, it was a wonderful venue. It's very memorable and I have been to the U.S. before twice, to play in the St. Louis tournament [Cairns Cup], and once I have been to Canada. So I was aware of the time zone, like how the jet lag will be affecting the venue when we're playing a tournament. So yeah, I know I'm going to suffer a bit with the sleep schedule and the routines, but in fact, I took a decision to take part because it's such a prestigious event.
And also, from the past few years, I'm doing well in these tournaments. Like I'm able to perform better. So I thought I should give a try this time as well. Though I had some difficulties after going there, like I just arrived two days before the event. So probably by the time I was returning to India, I got adjusted with the [New York] time! So after coming here, again it took a while for me.
The venue, and I think having the event in Manhattan, it gave a lot of interest to many players to take part and to see around the city. So I had also around one day to spend so I went around, to the World Trade Center and Times Square. So I also had my cousin over there. So we went together for long walks. So it was quite memorable.

Sahil:
I'm glad to see you found some amazing memories there. Would you like to go back at some point if there's an event?
Humpy:
Yeah definitely, why not. Especially for a sports person when you win a tournament you always feel that place is very special. So yeah, that way, definitely.
Sahil:
It definitely feels like that place is lucky for us, right? And ma'am, during the event, you actually lost your first game. And as you said, jet lag might have been a part of that and so on. What was going on in your mind while you lost on time? That must have hurt a lot in that moment.
Humpy:
Yeah, I was very upset. I was having a completely better position. But I started calculating the moves and I forgot about the clock.

So when I realized I lost the game, I think I had around 10 to 15 minutes break for the next round. So what I told myself was just to get the maximum score I could from the rest of the three games.
What I told myself was just to get the maximum score I could from the rest of the three games.
So I started thinking as if that was the first round of the tournament. So I managed to win two games in a row, but then I played with my friend and she's also my teammate in the Monaco club for many years, Almira [IM Skripchenko]. I was the black pieces and there wasn't much, like she played very solid and there wasn't much to try, so I had to end up with a draw.
But after the first game, going back to the room, the loss was like, you know, it was still in my mind. I couldn't take it off. I know like 2.5 out of 4 is not a good start, definitely for a player like me. And that, too, in this kind of open tournaments with just a half a point difference, there will be a lot of players coming up in the Swiss pairing. Every half point matters a lot.

So after the first day, it felt like probably if I scored 3.5 after 4 on the next day, I might be in a good position to fight for the top places. But I unexpectedly managed to win all four rounds. I think that made me get back into the joint lead. After the second day, I was pretty much calm.
Now I know the situation is in control. I can forget about the first-day loss so it doesn't matter now. It's only important how I'll perform in the last three games. So looking at the situation, again I felt like two points out of three would give any player a chance to play a tiebreak kind of a thing. So I was just waiting for the opportunity, but initially in the morning round I had [World Champion] Ju Wenjun.
Though I had the white pieces, all our recent games, the classical games, ended up as a draw, and I also didn't want to take any risk because it's important to stay in the top standings. So I just played a very normal opening and she equalized out of it and we ended it as a draw. Then later on again I had [GM Kateryna] Lagno and we played the same line which we played in Tata Steel Blitz, and yeah, now this time she was well prepared, and again it was a draw.
And the last game, with the black pieces, it's like a do-or-die situation. Only if you win you have a chance or there is no chance of being on the top. But being Black, I have to wait for the opportunity and she [IM Irine Sukandar] chose the solid opening in the Italian with Be3, exchanging the bishop. I knew like when she played the Italian, I guessed she would go for this because she was also the commentator in one of the FIDE Grand Prix which I played in Kazakhstan and there I drew against [GM] Elisabeth Paehtz in similar ideas.
So I understood she wanted to stay solid, but I kind of got little opportunities to change the structure when I had this knight b4 and d5. She could have played much better without allowing that, like not allowing the knight d5. Even though it's an equal position, you know, White will always have the opportunity to equalize, unless they make big mistakes. Even the rook endgame was very much close to equal, like she could just cut off my king or she could just take gxh5 towards the end, but Kf4 was a blunder.
Okay, it was a fraction of seconds and also with the pressure, like you know a pawn is a pawn, at the end of the day even though it's a drawish endgame, with the pawn down it's always a pressure and she made that one-move blunder and I got the pawn structure which I needed to convert to the win.
...even though it's a drawish endgame, with the pawn down it's always a pressure.

Sahil:
Ma'am, in that final game, while you were converting that rook endgame, and even from the start, were you kind of thinking of the tiebreak or were you just focused on the game completely? Let me just play this game, right?
Humpy:
No, I was focused on the game. Like when I started off the game I was looking for the results, like I think by then [GM] Tan Zhongyi, she finished her game quite early. So I just saw the result over the board. Then I understood, okay, one board is like not in the race. So I know two more games are going on, but I expected Lagno would win the game because she was playing someone around 2180, and she was also the white pieces, I guess.
And Ju Wenjun was playing with Bibisara [IM Assaubayeva]. I know it's going to be tough but I expected Lagno [to win] and during the opening part these things were still running in my mind, but once the game started off and when it entered into the middlegame, like nothing was there, like I was very much focused about the game, like it didn't matter what was going on around me. Only after I won the game, when the arbiter came to me and [the arbiter M.S.] Gopakumar congratulated me, then I saw the sheet where the results were mentioned. That's when I understood I became the outright champion.
I was very much focused about the game, like it didn't matter what was going on around me.
Sahil:
Ma'am, how did that feel though? Looking at that sheet, because you might not have known, on the results.

Humpy:
Yeah, I felt very happy like you know especially after losing the first game, like it wasn't expected. Okay, I was prepared to before the final round, like I myself was prepared to play the tiebreaks if I got a chance and that also I was not sure because I'll be having a bad tiebreak due to the early loss. So I thought if I managed to get into this tiebreak that itself would be a great thing, but winning outright, yeah, it was beyond my imagination and I was very, very happy. Somehow like even though I won the 2019 championship, there I played the tiebreak and it was like a see-saw in the end, but here it was more smooth though I started off very badly.
I thought if I managed to get into this tiebreak that itself would be a great thing, but winning outright, yeah, it was beyond my imagination.
Sahil:
And ma'am, even in the Blitz section, you barely missed out to qualify to the Knockout phase. How would you assess performance in the Blitz?
Humpy:
Again here I had a bad start, like I blundered in a completely winning position in the first game, like I overlooked the bishop on f8 is going to capture my queen.
But I think I fought back very well and, like, I'm not a great blitz player, not a controlled blitz player, though sometimes I do pretty well, but I think I played quite decent because I maintained my rating and gained some four points, so I just missed it very narrowly to the qualification.

But of course there are some games which I could have done much better.

Sahil:
I think you're a fabulous blitz player. The entire country is proud of your skills. And also I think you've constantly shared how important your family has been, what role they have played. So during an event, what sort of role does your family play in helping you?
Humpy:
Yeah, usually like I do speak with my daughter when I travel to tournaments and all, but here I did not speak with her until I won the tournament. Also there was a time difference and I am very much focused. I just want to keep all my focus on the event. But I was in touch with my dad, like he used to call me every day after the game in the night and he used to follow all the games live in India.
I was in touch with my dad, like he used to call me every day after the game in the night and he used to follow all the games live in India.
So like on the first day he just asked me how I lost in the first round. Then I said I forgot about the clock and lost. But he did not say anything. He just asked how I lost. That's it.
But before the tournament, like when I had these bad tournaments like Norway and Tata Steel, especially after the Tata Steel, I was in a mood like maybe I should stop professional chess and just play for fun or something like this.
Then after a week of coming back home, then I felt maybe it was not the right choice for me because I am not a kind of a person who would accept the loss. Like I just want to prove that I can win tournaments and I can also fight with these youngsters even now. So I thought I wanted to give a chance. But then when I spoke with my dad, he told me to change my practice schedule, like not to use any chess engines and also not to prepare openings, especially for this rapid, and we just stick on with whatever knowledge I have and to concentrate on playing more online games and also solving problems.
I just want to prove that I can win tournaments and I can also fight with these youngsters even now.
Apart from that he suggested me to see the videos and the blogs, like every day we have some important games where people keep analyzing all the theory and also these kind of things. He would share me some videos randomly here and there and I also would follow them. So I think all these practical things probably helped me and also my experience. Probably I understood off the board like when to take the risks and when not to. I think that was also a very important decision in winning this tournament.
Yeah, it was a very memorable one and I think though as a youngster I have won many tournaments. They seem to be somewhat special because, you know, I am not a full-time chess player, like I don't practice. Sometimes I don't even see chess for weeks. Even though I practice it will be very less time on a daily schedule. I make sure that when I am at home I spend a quality of time with my daughter. So yeah, I'm happy that I'm able to do it.
I am not a full-time chess player, like I don't practice. Sometimes I don't even see chess for weeks.
Sahil:
And when you came back from New York, you mentioned you didn't talk to your daughter while you were there, while you were playing. So what was her reaction when you came back?
Humpy:
Yeah, after winning the tournament, on the next day morning I spoke with her and by then my parents already told her that I won the gold medal and, interestingly, she also got her first gold medal from one of her abacus exams. So she was too excited and she told everyone that I also got the gold medal like my mom.
Priceless gift from my daughter Ahana!! pic.twitter.com/HOB3c6pcz3
— Koneru Humpy (@humpy_koneru) January 3, 2025
Sahil:
Wow, that's so sweet.
Humpy:
She came to Delhi, my husband and daughter came to Delhi to receive me, and we met the Prime Minister. When I showed her this medal, the first thing she said was, I also had a similar medal at home.
Sahil:
And that's so sweet, and ma'am you also met the prime minister though. How was that experience? How did that feel?
Humpy:
That was very wonderful and encouraging. We almost spent 10 minutes with him and he congratulated me for the second world title and then we discussed about the chess and my tournaments. He also mentioned that when he was a chief minister in Gujarat, he promoted chess in a big way and at that time he also had a chessboard printed on school bags for children so that they can play chess at any time whenever they feel like, all these kind of things.
I think India is somewhat privileged that chess is being recognized at a high level. Like earlier no one would consider this as a sport, like more of cricket and tennis was given the priority, but now I think from the past four, five years chess is being recognized everywhere. So that way it was very nice. Then he also spoke with my husband. He asked about his business, like he works with the railway. So he has said that it would be a very good boom for the railways in the next three years.
I think India is somewhat privileged that chess is being recognized at a high level.
Yeah, we had a very nice conversation and he also remembered that we met during the Chess Olympiad and we had a chess game played too. So yeah, I think for a sports person it's always encouraging when someone like his caliber recognizes the achievement and, you know, gives that work, that itself is a great award.
It was an incredible honor and a once-in-a-lifetime privilege to meet our esteemed Prime Minister, Shri @narendramodi ji, alongside my family.
— Koneru Humpy (@humpy_koneru) January 3, 2025
The experience was truly unforgettable filled with inspiration and encouragement. Thank you, sir, for this remarkable moment! pic.twitter.com/1ob3t2Jcsh
Sahil:
Yeah. And now you mentioned, you know, how you met the prime minister and you've seen the growth of chess in the past five years. I think one reason definitely would be, players like you have done so much, you know, to make the nation proud. [GM] Gukesh [Dommaraju] became the world champion, the Olympiad victory...
Humpy:
Yeah, well I think this 2024 is like the golden era. I don't know whether these kind of things can happen in future or not because, in the same year everything, every gold medal we could, like we got it for India. I really hope that this should continue and all our youngsters should also shine a lot.
I think this 2024 is like the golden era... in the same year everything, every gold medal we could, like we got it for India.
Sahil:
It absolutely will, ma'am, it absolutely will. And having achieved so much, ma'am, in your life, what is your next goal in the chess world?
Humpy:
I have lost a lot of classical rating last year. I didn't do well in many tournaments. Right now I want to improve my classical rating. At first I want to stop that loss. Last year whatever tournament I played I was negative. So first I want to get out of that and improve my classical rating. I don't want to target too many big things because I am no longer like a youngster. As I said before, I am not a completely professional chess player. So I selected tournaments which were very important and which also suit my schedule. So it's important for me that I enjoy the game more than the results. Like if I feel like I'm playing the game up to my level, I'm satisfied with that.
So it's important for me that I enjoy the game more than the results. Like if I feel like I'm playing the game up to my level, I'm satisfied with that.
Sahil:
And now you mentioned that you want to get back some classical rating. If you had to prefer one format, rapid, blitz, or classical, now that you're the rapid champion, which format would that be?
Humpy:
Haha. Oh, it's now it's really hard to say because, I don't know, somehow from the past five years I had more liking for rapid and blitz rather than classical. Maybe I was a bit selfish because these tournaments are shorter period so that I could get back home with the family. Yeah, classical is more time-consuming, not only just the tournament schedule, but also you need to have a lot of training for classical, like opening preparations and all these things consume a lot of time.

Sahil:
Yeah. Ma'am, we also have just a very few questions, advice from you that might help upcoming players. The first question would be, I think you are so good at handling pressure in crunch moments. You've seen this quality in Gukesh as well, and you both are world champions now. So how can others get better at handling pressure?
Humpy:
I think in those situations it's better not to think about the result. Of course it's very easy to say, but before the game you will have that pressure, like you have to win this, you have to do that to get into that position. But I think as a chess player we all know once we sit at the board we get that focus. So once you start the game probably you should erase everything from your mind. You should just be having that killing instinct like so that you could give all your best to perform.
Sahil:
And for an upcoming player, what's the ideal distribution of time a player should give to, let's say, openings, middlegames, and endgames?
Humpy:
I think it depends upon the strength of the player, but definitely more time has to be given for middlegame and endgame. Nowadays opening preparation has become somewhat very easy. If you are very good at technology like you could just download all these chess studies and all, like it's there available already in many websites and also we have a very high quality engines, if you just click space bars you will get the best line out of it. So I think opening preparation is just about having knowledge, so to improve the game definitely middlegame and endgame practice is very important.
Sahil:
And what openings would you recommend to a beginner who's starting to learn chess? What would be the best for them?
Humpy:
No, I wouldn't recommend particularly one because they should have their own liking.
For every player, some players are very aggressive, they prefer the king pawn, some players they wanted to go slow and steady. So it depends, they have to choose whatever they would like to. You can take the advice once you pick the opening, like which line to play and where to study and what, but not about the choice.
Sahil:
And we've all heard the quote chess is 99% tactics. How did you personally get better at tactics and how can others do the same?
Humpy:
I remember as a kid I used to solve a lot of problems from, if I'm not wrong, it's a chess combination book or something. They used to be one and two series. And my dad used to make me write down all the techniques every day on the paper. Even he made me do this before this World Rapid & Blitz also. Like every day I had to write down all the techniques so that I don't forget the theme of the techniques. So yeah, I think they should keep on solving problems.
Sahil:
It's so great to see the support your dad has for you and your chess overall. It's so heartwarming, ma'am.
Humpy:
No, he is like actually he is a 24-hour chess player like from every day irrespective of whether it's festival or whatever. It is at 8 o'clock he'll start playing online chess and he'll not stop it unless he has some work to go out, like he'll be playing throughout the day, that's what I say, I wonder as if you were playing the tournament you are doing so much practice!
Sahil:
That is so sweet ma'am. And you know ma'am, you've sometimes taken a short break from chess. So when you come back after the break, how can one quickly get into form? What can he do to, you know, kind of catch up?
Humpy:
I don't know, I always felt that the break really helped me a lot somehow. No, I did not follow anything. I did not even follow the chess news or anything. I was completely away from chess. So when I came back I was fresh. But I still have that knowledge, but my mind was very fresh. And initially when I played this Olympiad I had a support from the seconds which the All-India Sports Federation has allotted for the Indian team. So they would give me the opening preparations and all and I would go.
But after that I played Gibraltar in 2019 January. Then I wasn't very well prepared with the openings, but Gibraltar is quite a strong tournament, but still I managed to do well, like I gained some rating over there and from that tournament onwards I was like doing much better and again I started winning the Grand Prix and all, but my practical play was much better though my opening understanding was very weak. I would enter into problems in the opening. I remember the game against Nigel Short as well in the Catalan I had a very bad position after the opening, but then I fought and I made a draw towards the end, so I liked that there are several games in that tournament. Probably I think my general understanding was much better.

Sahil:
And what is the best chess advice you've ever received in your entire life?
Humpy:
I think definitely when I played this as a kid, I played this World Youth Championship, I played Under 10 in France.
I remember then Nana [GM Dzagnidze] from Georgia, she and me were competing in the same age group. Our game ended in a draw and we were in the joint lead in the tournament. I was very worried. I started calculating if she wins all the games, if I win, then what will happen? Or else if I can't win, if she wins, then she'll be the champion. All these silly things I started calculating as a kid.
Then my dad was with me. And he was my coach until 2011. So then he said just not to bother about what will happen with the other players. You just play your best, whatever best score you would get. Yeah, after a while I calmed down and I started focusing on my game and we both won all the rounds. Just before the last round, at that time I think I was playing Nf3 Reti Opening and English Opening, and for Dutch for Nf3 f5 I didn't know how to handle it as a kid. For English f5 Dutch I knew how to play, like keeping this g3, Bg2, e3, Ne2 setup. Initially in those days we didn't have computer or database kind of a thing and it's a kids tournament.
So in the last round we prepared to play Nf3 but that day like I had this big sickness, so when I went to the tournament hall I was sick, I vomited, and I wasn't feeling well, so I forgot that I should start with Nf3 and I played c4 and my opponent replied with f5.
Sahil:
Wow.
Humpy:
So now I'm feeling much better because I know how to keep the setup. Probably for Nf3 I didn't know how to handle. I won that game and Nana drew her final round and I became the champion.
So then I felt probably like when you do your work, like when you're your best, things around you will also work out accordingly. So I think probably that experience I still remember and it happened to me in many tournaments, you know, it gives that positivity to make you the champion.
When you do your work, like when you're your best, things around you will also work out accordingly.
Sahil:
That's just an inspiring story. I feel like I will get 100 points tonight somehow from that story. Thank you, ma'am. And one question is, often we get advice on how to improve a certain part of our play, but how can a player figure out that this is a weakness in their play? So how do they spot those weaknesses?
Humpy:
I think, yes of course, after playing some several tournaments you will understand your weaknesses, but definitely as a youngster it's important to have a coach who would guide you, to improve your skills and also someone—chess is not about the strategy and the theoretical part and tactics, but it's also about the psychology, like the coach can always give you the guidance to keep you in the right track, like he'll know better like in which situation how you will react and all. I think in that way I'm very lucky having my father as a coach because he has full-time observation on me as a child, so he knows how I'll think and definitely when you have trained with one person for a longer period like you will acquire their skills.
I think in that way I'm very lucky having my father as a coach because he has full-time observation on me as a child.
So that will I think really help, like rather than changing from one to other, if you stick on with one coach for a certain time, like until you cross them, like until you cross some limits, probably then you would need a much higher-rated player or a super-grandmaster or something. But that I think choosing the right coach is very important.

Sahil:
And your final question, one piece of advice for upcoming women players.
Humpy:
I would suggest them to play a lot of men [or open] tournaments. I think when you have a tough competition, you would automatically rise to the occasion. Like when you are just playing with the women with the same Elo rating, after some time you feel stagnated. You will not even have that urge to improve. So it's always better to be placed against a tough opposition.
Sahil:
All the advice feels so amazing, ma'am. I think it will definitely help a lot of youngsters. Before we let you go, one important question that might inspire the next generation of grandmasters. 20 years into the future, a world champion will look back and say, this Humpy advice might have made me the world champion. So the question is, is the London System a good opening?
Humpy:
Definitely. It's a quite solid opening. Why not? So are you a London System player?
Sahil:
Yeah!
Humpy:
When you asked the question, I felt so.
Sahil:
Thank you, ma'am, for that. I'll definitely clip it!
Humpy:
I think the opening is just part of the game. It cannot decide the result always. Okay, sometimes you are too well prepared and it might give a surprise to your opponent. You might fetch one or two points like that, but at the end of the day, the skills of your play will make you the champion.
Sahil:
Absolutely, ma'am. Thanks a lot for your time. Chess.com wishes you a happy new year and we hope you keep touching new heights of success in 2025. Thank you, ma'am.
Humpy:
Thank you. Wish you a happy new year as well.