Koneru Humpy clinches silver at Women's World Rapid Chess Championships 2023

Vidith Gujrathi finished fourth in men’s category.

Koneru Humpy, India’s top-ranked woman chess player, added another feather to her cap by winning the silver medal at the Women’s World Rapid Chess Championships 2023 held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan from December 26th to 28th.

The athlete from Andhra Pradesh finished at the top position after 11 rounds with 8.5 points, along with Russia’s Anastasia Bodnaruk. She played a tie-breaker against Bodnaruk for the title but lost 1.5-2.5 to earn the precious silver medal from the event. This is her third medal from these championships after a gold in 2019 and a bronze in 2012.

She held her own against the eventual champion Bodnaruk in the classical games, drawing both of them with black pieces. However, in the blitz playoff, Humpy could not match the speed and accuracy of Bodnaruk, who prevailed in the sudden-death game after two draws and a loss.

Humpy was not the only Indian player to shine at the championship, as several others also performed well and improved their ratings. In the women’s section, Varshini finished at 13th place with 7.5 points,

In the men’s section, Vidit Gujrathi was the best-placed Indian player, finishing at the fourth position with 9 points in 13 rounds. He missed out on a medal by a whisker, as he lost to China’s Yu Yangyi in the final round. Other notable performances came from R Praganandha who finished in 8th rank.

Indian Sports Live Coverage on Khel Now

• Vinesh Phogat returns Khel Ratna, Arjuna awards
• Sumit Nagal’s wildcard nomination entry denied for Australian Open 2024 by AITA
• India to travel to Pakistan for Davis Cup tie after AITA loses appeal
• Bajrang Punia to return Padma Shri award as protest against WFI elections
• PV Sindhu in Forbes’ list for highest-paid female athletes in 2023
• Sakshi Malik quits wrestling after Brij Bhushan’s aide Sanjay Singh becomes WFI president
• List of Indian athletes to have secured qualification for Paris Olympics 2024

The undisputed king of rapid chess once again claimed the men’s title, Magnus Carlsen, who secured the world rapid chess crown for a record fifth time. Carlsen scored 3/4 on the final day, winning over Russia’s Vladimir Fedoseev and Iran’s Pouya Idani, and drawing with India’s Vidit Gujrathi and China’s Yu Yangyi. Carlsen’s score of 10/13 eclipsed Fedoseev (9.5/13) and Yu Yangyi (9/13), who finished second and third respectively.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram