It is not easy to become a world champion at the age of 37: Koneru Humpy

New Delhi. India's top woman player Koneru Humpy created history on Sunday by winning the title of the World Rapid Chess Championship. Excited with the victory, Humpy said, "Becoming a world champion at the age of 37 is not easy. As you grow older, it becomes quite difficult to maintain motivation and stay sharp when needed. I am happy that I did it." Humpy said, "I am very happy to win the title for the second time. I was not expecting this as I lost the first round, and never thought that I would return home as a champion."

Humpy won here with 8.5 points in 11 rounds. She won this title for the first time in Moscow in 2019. She defeated Indonesia's Irene Sukandar in a challenging endgame.

Humpy has inherited this game

Humpy has inherited this game. Her father Koneru Ashok is also a chess player and he wanted his daughter to also play chess. That's why he named his daughter Humpy, which means victorious. Humpy left no stone unturned to fulfill her father's dreams. Humpy has always performed well in world rapid chess.

Slow start, then comeback

However, Humpy had a slow start here. After four rounds, she had only 2.5 points in her account. But then she reached the top jointly with D Harika, defending champion Ju Wenjun of China. 18-year-old Volodar Murzin of Russia won the men's title. He is the youngest player to do so.