Koneru Humpy

Some Lesser Known Facts About Koneru Humpy

• Her parents, Koneru Ashok and Koneru Latha, originally named her ‘Hampi’ after the word ‘champion,’ later changing it to ‘Humpy’ to sound more Russian.

• In 1993, her father recognised her chess aptitude when she suggested a move from a game in The Chess Informant when she was six years old.

• In 1993, Koneru Humpy won the Vijayawada and Krishna district under-eight championships in Andhra Pradesh.

• She won state-level championships in 1994 and 1995 and finished fourth in the national under-eight championship for girls in 1995.

• Koneru Humpy’s father began coaching her in 1995.

• She won the national under-10 championship for girls in 1996 in Mumbai. After that, she won the 1997 World Under-10 Girls Chess Championship organised in Cannes, France.

  

• Koneru Humpy won three gold medals at the World Youth Chess Championship in 1997 (under-10 girls), 1998 (under-12 girls), and 2000 (under-14 girls).

• In 1999, she won the under-12 section at the Asian Youth Chess Championship, competing against male competitors.

• In 2001, Koneru Humpy won the World Junior Girls Championship and tied for first place in 2002 during the same championships.

  

• She achieved the title of Grandmaster in 2002, becoming the first woman to do so in India. She also became the youngest woman to achieve this title, beating Judit Polgár’s previous record by three months. However, her record was later broken by Hou Yifan in 2008.

  

• Koneru Humpy won the British Women’s Championship in 2000 and 2002, the Asian Women’s Individual Championship in 2003, and the Indian Women’s Championship in 2003.

• She competed with male competitors in the 2004 World Junior Championship, tying for fifth place.

• In 2005, Koneru Humpy won the North Urals Cup, a tournament for top female chess players.

• She has participated in every Women’s World Chess Championship knockout format since 2004, reaching the semifinals in 2004, 2008, and 2010.

  

• In 2009, she tied for 1st-4th in the Mumbai Mayor Cup.

• Koneru Humpy accused the All India Chess Federation in 2009 of stopping her from participating in the 37th Chess Olympiad because her father was not allowed to accompany her.

• She finished second in the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix 2009-2011, qualifying for the Women’s World Chess Championship 2011, where she lost to Hou Yifan.

• An entire chapter in the Telangana State School English textbook is dedicated to her.

  

• Koneru Humpy was the runner-up in the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix series in 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16, and 2019–21.

• She won an individual bronze at the Women’s World Team Chess Championship 2015, where Team India finished fourth.

• Since 2016, Koneru Humpy has been working with the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC).

• In 2019, she became the women’s World Rapid champion after a two-year maternity break.

• She competed in the 2022 Chess Olympiad, where the women’s India team won a bronze medal.