Koneru Humpy: A Call for Change in Women’s Chess and Insights on the Competitive Landscape
Koneru Humpy: A Voice for Change in Women’s Chess
PUNE: In a candid interview, Koneru Humpy, India’s top-rated woman chess player, expressed her concerns about the future of women in chess, particularly regarding their potential to break into the elite ranks of the game. As she prepares for the prestigious Norway elite chess meet starting May 25 in Oslo, Humpy shared her insights on the challenges faced by female players in a predominantly male-dominated sport.
Speaking from her hometown of Vijayawada, Humpy highlighted that aside from China’s Zhu Jiner, she struggles to identify any woman player poised to reach an Elo rating of 2600 and penetrate the top 100 in the Open world rankings. “When we have separate women and men tournaments, I don’t see a major breakthrough happening for women,” she stated. “Playing in the same circle of players won’t help. There would not be any great opportunity for improvement unless women start playing continuously in an open section.”
Humpy, the first Indian woman to earn the Grandmaster title, emphasized the need for female players to engage more in open tournaments to enhance their skills. “You need to work tremendously well to improve by playing in those Open tournaments. I did it for some time before the priorities changed,” she reflected, citing the exceptional cases of Judit Polgar and Hou Yifan as rare successes in the field.
Despite the reigning women’s world champion Ju Wenjun achieving a peak Elo rating of 2604 in March 2017, she currently sits at 2559, while Humpy’s compatriot R Vaishali is at 2496. Humpy’s own journey has not been without its hurdles; she was a favorite to win the Candidates tournament in Cyprus earlier this year but withdrew due to safety concerns amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
“It’s more important that I should love the sport when I play a tournament,” Humpy explained. “I shouldn’t feel like I’m keeping my family or my near and dear ones under pressure when I am traveling somewhere.” She expressed no regrets about her decision to withdraw, emphasizing that the circumstances at the time were critical and warranted a thoughtful response.
Humpy also addressed the growing chess scene in India, dubbing it the “Tamil Nadu boom,” while encouraging the emergence of talent from other states. However, she refrained from commenting on the recent performance of fellow players, including world champion D Gukesh and Vaishali’s qualification for the women’s title match. “I don’t want to comment on any other player or any other situation because I have also experienced many things,” she said. “I have seen the silence from the world when I’m having a tough situation. Maybe, sometimes, it’s better to be silent.”
As Humpy gears up for her next challenge in Norway, her reflections serve as a powerful reminder of the ongoing struggles and aspirations of women in chess, urging the community to foster an environment where female players can thrive alongside their male counterparts.