Koneru Humpy has given Indian women’s chess the identity it lacked till she arrived on the big stage. Even after two decades, her single-minded approach to achieving excellence has no parallel in the country. That’s why, it is a tribute to her undiminished spirit that despite being the oldest player in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, Humpy will be among the serious contenders for the title.
In a tough eight-player field, where six players occupy World rankings from three to eight, Humpy is seeded three. Incredibly, she holds a better head-to-head record against most players. Though top seed Alexandra Goryachkina begins as the rating favourite, a surprise champion cannot be ruled out.
Barring R. Vaishali and surprise-packet Bulgaria’s Nurgyul Salimova, any of the top six can win and be the next challenger to defending champion China’s Ju Wenjun. The two youngsters neither have the experience nor the exposure to excel in a quality field such as the one in Toronto.
Humpy has been consistently among the top-five players in the world. Even after taking a maternity break from chess, Humpy returned to win the world rapid title. Such has been her focus despite working all alone without any known coach or trainer, Humpy has maintained a very high quality of play.
Over 14 rounds, Humpy’s preparedness will be tested. In addition, she will have to display better time management to optimize her chances of winning.
World Cup winner Aleksandra Goryachkina, the highest-ever ranked Russian woman, will be tough to beat. She dominated the 2019 edition and won with plenty to spare. Trained by her father Yuri Gorchkin, she has shown consistency in the FIDE Grand Prix that she is the one to beat.
Kateryna Lagno, the 2018 World Championship runner-up, is another serious contender. She has the experience to negotiate the serious challengers. A mother of four, Lagno also has the benefit of getting timely inputs from her husband, leading Russian Grandmaster Alexander Grischuk.
Former World champion Tan Zhongyi and defending champion Lei Tingjie battled to become the challenger of the last cycle. Tingjie defeated Zhongyi 3.5-1.5 with a round to spare in April 2023. However, Tingjie lost the world title clash to the reigning champion Ju Wenjun.
The Chinese duo is back and ready to call the shots. Having figured in the title clash of the last Candidates Final, played on a knockout basis, the two will be battling the rest in a double-robin format. They are extremely well-prepared and highly competitive.
Former World Championship runner-up Anna Muzychuk is another contender whose chances cannot be discounted. Originally from Slovenia, Anna represents Ukraine. She also has a well-rounded game to deal with the best in the fray.
From India’s standpoint, Humpy holds out hope for a strong finish. For Vaishali, it will be a good exposure to play 12 games against higher-rated rivals. So keep watching!
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