 "Koneru Humpy Exclusive | Veteran GM delivers crisp response to Carlsen's criticism of Indian chess: 'At the end of the day there is...'")
Grandmaster Koneru Humpy gave a crisp response to critics who remain skeptical of India’s meteoric rise in the world of chess, stating that they simply needed to let their titles and gold medals do the talking without having to get into an argument.
World No 1 and five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen is among those from the West who are yet to be convinced of India's rise as a chess superpower despite the country completing a rare golden sweep at the 45th Olympiad last year.
The year 2024 had also witnessed D Gukesh make history by becoming the youngest world champion and youngest winner in the Candidates tournament. Fellow GM R Praggnanandhaa had won the prestigious Tata Steel Chess in February, and happens to be among the top-10 in the FIDE Classical ratings along with Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi.
“There will always be criticism. At the end of the day there is title, gold medals and victory for the country,” Humpy said in an exclusive conversation on the latest episode of First Sports.
More recently, Humpy had become only the second player in chess history to be crowned women’s world rapid champion more than once. And just last month, she had squared off in a historic all-Indian final against Divya Deshmukh in the FIDE Women’s World Cup, which the latter won 2.5-1.5.
Only one player – GM Harika Dronavalli – had reached the quarter-finals of the prestigious event in past editions. The third edition in Georgia’s Batumi, however, had four Indians in the quarters, with Divya and Humpy making their way to the final after defeating Chinese GMs Tan Zhongyi and Lei Tingjie respectively.
Two Indians in the final ‘something unexpected’: Humpy
Both players secured their qualification for next year’s Women’s Candidates Tournament in the process.
“Having two Indians was something unexpected. That too in a knockout format. It is very common for players to be tied in a ranking or classical event. In knockouts, from two different groups - two Indians coming to the finals. Before that we had four Indians in the quarterfinals - That itself is a remarkable achievement. Indian chess is in a great position and thanks to the support of all the officials,” Humpy continued.
The 38-year-old GM, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, also praised young Divya for playing a “solid Classical game” and putting her under pressure in the final, which went into the tie-breaks after back-to-back draws.
“Coming to the final - I didn’t show my energy levels. Divya played a solid classical game. I couldn’t get much out of that. When it came to tie break - The first game was a chance to take the initiative but I missed it out. Later on when it was equal, I started taking the pressure and went with the wrong choices. It was the lack of energy towards the end. It was one of the reasons I couldn’t perform up to the mark. Divya utilised the opportunity,” she added.
Watch the full episode here:
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