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Queen’s gambit: on Koneru Humpy’s chess win

Koneru Humpy must try to repeat her success in the classical format

There was almost a sense of inevitability to the World rapid chess championship that concluded in
New York on Sunday (India time). Given the astonishing year that India has had in chess, it was as if
there had to be an Indian champion, and Koneru Humpy ensured there was one. The 37-year-old from
Vijayawada won the women’s World rapid championship after defeating Indonesia’s Irene Sukandar in
the final round. This is the second World rapid title for Humpy, which she won first in 2019. This is
even more remarkable as she had been seeded 10th and had to face several younger rivals. Chess is
getting younger and younger. D. Gukesh proved it just a fortnight ago in Singapore, when he became
the youngest world champion in history at 18. Gukesh’s victory came in the classical variety of chess,
while Humpy’s was in a format of much shorter time control. The fact that it has not been her
favourite format — which remains classical — makes her success even more special. Ironically, she
has never won the classical World championship, though she has come close in the past. The latest
triumph should inspire her to mount another challenge for the trophy that matters the most.

Humpy’s success is only the latest reminder about India’s stature as the superpower in international
chess. In September this year, India’s men’s and women’s teams emerged as champions at the Chess
Olympiad, in which just about every country took part. Only the former Soviet Union and China have
claimed a twin gold at the Olympiad before. India is now to world chess what the Soviet Union was for
decades. The country may still have to go a long way before it could rival the popularity that chess
enjoyed in the USSR during its golden days but India is churning out world beaters with remarkable
consistency. An active chess federation despite the internal quibbles, a familiar tale for Indian sport,
huge parental support, increasing interest from the corporate sector and the availability of
Grandmasters as coaches across the country have all contributed to the Indian chess revolution,
which was begun by five-time World champion Viswanathan Anand. But for India to retain its position
as the global giant in the mind game, more has to be done. Except for a few States such as Tamil
Nadu, chess still does not get the recognition it deserves. Recently, Tania Sachdev, a member of the
victorious Indian women’s team at the Olympiad, had to go public about the lack of support for chess
from the Delhi government.

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Vocabulary
1. Queen’s gambit (noun) – A chess opening, 12. Triumph (noun) – Victory, achievement,
or metaphorically, a clever strategy or success, accomplishment, win
maneuver ( )
13. Mount (verb) – Launch, initiate, undertake,
2. Inevitability (noun) – Unavoidability, organize, begin
certainty, predictability, surety
14. Stature (noun) – Reputation, standing,
3. Conclude (verb) – End, finish, complete, prominence, prestige, status
close, wrap up
15. Olympiad (noun) – International chess
4. Given (preposition) – Considering, taking competition, global contest
into account, in view of, seeing as
16. Former (adjective) – Previous, earlier,
5. Astonishing (adjective) – Amazing, prior, erstwhile, preceding
surprising, remarkable, incredible,
extraordinary 17. Claim (verb) – Achieve, win, secure, assert,
obtain
6. Ensure (verb) – Guarantee, secure, make
certain, confirm, assure 18. Decade (noun) – Ten years, ten-year
period
7. Seed (verb) – Rank, position, place (in a
competitive context) 19. Go a long way (phrase) – Contribute
significantly, make a big difference,
8. Rival (noun) – Competitor, opponent, achieve much
adversary, challenger, contender
20. Rival (verb) – Compete with, challenge,
match, emulate, vie
9. Fortnight (noun) – Two weeks, 14 days
21. Churn out (phrasal verb) – Produce, create,
generate, manufacture, turn out
10. Ironically (adverb) – Unexpectedly,
paradoxically, coincidentally, in contrast
22. Quibble (noun) – Argument, objection,
dispute, complaint, disagreement
11. Come close (phrase) – Approach, nearly
achieve, almost reach 23. Tale (noun) – Story, narrative, account,
chronicle, anecdote

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24. Retain (verb) – Maintain, keep, preserve, 27. Victorious (adjective) – Winning,
hold on to triumphant, successful, conquering,
undefeated
25. Giant (noun) – Leader, powerhouse, titan,
behemoth, major force 28. Go about (phrasal verb) – Approach,
tackle, handle, deal with, proceed
26. Recognition (noun) – Acknowledgment,
appreciation, validation, approval, acclaim

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Summary of the Editorial

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