Koneru Humpy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Koneru Humpy |
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Humpy in 2012
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| Country | India |
| Born | 31 March 1987 Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Title | Grandmaster (2002) |
| FIDE rating | 2586 (July 2025) |
| Peak rating | 2623 (July 2009) |
Koneru Humpy (born 31 March 1987) is a super talented chess player from India. She is a Grandmaster, which is the highest title a chess player can get! She has been a runner-up in the Women's World Chess Championship. She is also the current two-time Women's World Rapid Chess Champion.
In 2002, when she was just 15 years old, Humpy became the youngest girl ever to become a Grandmaster. She was also the first Indian girl to achieve this amazing title! Only one other player, Hou Yifan, has earned it at a younger age since then. Humpy has won gold medals at the Olympiad, Asian Games, and Asian Championship.
In October 2007, she became only the second female player, after Judit Polgár, to reach a very high Elo rating of over 2600 points. Humpy won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship in 2019 and again in 2024.
Contents
Early Life and Chess Start
Koneru Humpy was born on March 31, 1987, in Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh, India. Her parents, Koneru Ashok and Koneru Latha, first named her "Hampi." They got the name from the word "champion." Her father later changed the spelling to Humpy. He thought it sounded more like a Russian chess player's name.
Humpy's father, Ashok, started teaching her chess when she was very young. He saw her talent when she suggested a clever move while he was looking at a chess game from a book. This was in 1993, and Humpy was only six years old. That same year, she won local championships in her city and district.
She continued to win state-level championships in 1994 and 1995. In 1995, she played in the national under-eight championship for girls and finished fourth. After that, her father became her full-time coach. In 1996, she won the national under-10 championship for girls. This win allowed her to play in the 1997 World Under-10 Girls Chess Championship in France, which she won!
Personal Life
In August 2014, Humpy married Dasari Anvesh. They have a daughter named Ahana, who was born in 2017. Since 2016, Humpy has been working for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC), a big company in India.
Chess Career Highlights
Humpy won three gold medals at the World Youth Chess Championship. She won in 1997 (under-10 girls), 1998 (under-12 girls), and 2000 (under-14 girls). In 1999, she even won the under-12 section at the Asian Youth Chess Championship while competing against boys.
In 2001, Humpy won the World Junior Girls Championship. The next year, she tied for first place in the same event. In 2002, she became the eighth woman ever to earn the Grandmaster title. She was the first Indian female player and the youngest female player to do so at the time.
Humpy won the British Women's Championship in both 2000 and 2002. In 2003, she won the Asian Women's Individual Championship and the Indian Women's Championship. In 2005, she won the North Urals Cup in Russia. This was a special tournament with ten of the world's best female players.
She first played in the Women's World Chess Championship in 2004. Since then, she has competed in every championship that used the knockout format. Humpy reached the semifinals in 2004, 2008, and 2010.
In 2009, Humpy tied for first place with three other players in the Mumbai Mayor Cup.
Humpy also took part in the FIDE Women's Grand Prix series several times. She finished second overall in the 2009–2011 series, which meant she got to challenge for the Women's World Chess Championship 2011. She played against Hou Yifan but lost the match. Humpy also finished as a runner-up in the Grand Prix series in 2011–12, 2013–14, 2015–16, and 2019–21.
In December 2019, Humpy won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship. This was a big comeback for her after taking a two-year break for maternity leave. In 2020, she won the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year award, chosen by public vote.
She also played in the 2022 Chess Olympiad with the Indian women's team, where they won a bronze medal. In 2023, she was the runner-up in the World Rapid championships. In December 2024, Humpy won the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship again, becoming the Women's World Rapid Chess Champion for the second time.
In July 2025, she played against Lei Tingjie in the semifinals of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup. Humpy won the match 5-3, after a thrilling comeback in the tiebreaks. This win set up an all-Indian final against 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh. In the final, Humpy lost in the tiebreaks, finishing in second place. By reaching the semifinal, she automatically qualified for the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026.
FIDE Women's Grand Prix Wins
| S.No | Year | Date | Venue | Points (Win/draw/loss) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2009 | 7–19 March 2009 | Istanbul, Turkey | 8.5/11 (+7=3-1) |  Gold |
| 2 | 2010 | 30 July – 11 August 2010 | Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia | 6.5/11 |  Bronze |
| 3 | 2011 | 23 February – 5 March 2011 | Doha, Qatar | 8/11 (+6=4-1) | Gold |
| 4 | 2012 | 10–21 June 2012 | Kazan, Russia | 7.5/11 (+4 =7 –0) | Gold |
| 5 | 2012 | 16–28 September 2012 | Ankara, Turkey | 8.5/11 (+7 =3 –1) | Gold |
| 6 | 2013 | June 15 – 29 June 2013 | Dilijan, Armenia | 8/11 (+5=6–0) | Gold |
| 7 | 2013 | 17 September – 1 October 2013 | Tashkent, Uzbekistan | 8/11 (+6=4–1) | Gold |
| 8 | 2015 | 2–16 October 2015 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 7/11 | Bronze |
| 9 | 2016 | 1–15 July 2016 | Chengdu, China | 7/11 (+5=4-2) |  Silver |
| 10 | 2019 | 10–23 September 2019 | Skolkovo, Russia | 8/11 (+5=6-0) | Gold |
| 11 | 2019 | 2–15 December 2019 | Monaco | 7/11 (+4=6-1) | Gold - Shared 1st Place |
| 12 | 2023 | 1–14 February 2023 | Munich, Germany | 7/11 (+3=8-0) | Silver |
Major Achievements
- 1999: Became Asia's youngest Woman International Master (WIM).
- 2001: Became India's youngest Woman Grandmaster (WGM).
- 2012: Won a bronze medal at the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship.
- 2019: Won the Skolkovo Women's Grand Prix.
- 2019: Won the Monaco Women's Grand Prix.
- 2019: Winner of the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship.
- 2020: Won gold at the Cairns Cup.
- 2020: Won silver at the Speed Chess Championship.
- 2020: Won gold at the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020.
- 2021: Won bronze at the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2021.
- 2022: Won bronze at the 44th Chess Olympiad.
- 2022: Was part of the team that won the Gaprindashvili Cup at the 44th Chess Olympiad.
- 2022: Won silver at the Women's World Blitz Chess Championship 2022.
- 2023: Won silver at the Global Chess League.
- 2023: Won silver at the Women's Tata Steel India Chess Tournament Blitz.
- 2024: Won silver at the Women's Candidates Tournament 2024.
- 2024: Winner of the Women's World Rapid Chess Championship.
Awards and Recognition
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- 2003: Received the Arjuna Award, a top sports honor in India.
- 2007: Received the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian awards.
- 2021: Named BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year.
- 2021: Named Sportstar Aces Sportswoman of the Decade (for individual non-Olympic sports).
- 2022: Named Player of the Chess Tournament at the PSPB Inter-unit Chess and Bridge Tournament.
See also
In Spanish: Humpy Koneru para niños
