Koneru Humpy urged the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to support women's chess more, claiming that girls aren't sufficiently encouraged to play the game in India.
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Koneru Humpy, a two-time Asian Games gold medalist from India, has raised concerns about competing in the forthcoming continental tournament, which will be hosted in the Chinese city of Hangzhou in September 2023. Humpy expressed her concern with the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix being hosted in China to PTI owing to the continuing COVID-19 pandemic and the political situation of the nation. Humpy, who won gold in both the women’s individual and mixed team events at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha as a teenager, is one of India’s top female chess players, along with Harika Dronavalli. Humpy was also a member of the historic bronze-winning women’s team in the FIDE Chess Olympiad 2022 held in Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu.
Koneru Humpy stated, “Well I’m not sure about my participation in the Asian Games because it’s being held in China. Because of China, I’m not sure I’ll participate. Probably I’ll be deciding in June or July. (It’s) because of COVID, what else could be the reason to go to China?” After 13 years, chess will make a comeback at the Asian Games, but Humpy’s participation is still in question.
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Koneru Humpy urged the All India Chess Federation (AICF) to support women’s chess more, claiming that girls aren’t sufficiently encouraged to play the game in India. She said, “There isn’t enough encouragement for the girls (in India) – encouragement in the sense that we don’t have any special women’s events or any kind of training. We are not able to motivate them. For boys, it’s easy to form groups and work together, but for girls that is tough as we are placed at different locations.”
Humpy thinks the AICF must learn from China and seek out great female athletes to develop them. In order to help players develop their skills, she also recommended that the federation host additional competitions and send players abroad for training. She stated, “The federation can host tournaments, or they can send players abroad. They should sort out their (players’) financial issues and organize some training camps so that they can improve their skills.”
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Despite Koneru Humpy’s achievements in the sport, Humpy now plays for the love of the game rather than to win laurels. “Nowadays, I don’t target anything. I simply want to enjoy my game. I just love to play rather than aim for laurels. That’s more important for me,” she said. Humpy also believes that chess should be included in the Olympic curriculum, as she believes that the lack of representation at the Olympics is one of the reasons for women not taking up the sport. She added, “What I believe is, our success is completely an individual effort.”
A rise in COVID-19 cases in China forced the postponement of the Asian Games last year. However, infections have continued to increase this year as well. Humpy’s reservations about taking part in the competition are reasonable, as athletes from all over the world have been reluctant to travel because of health and safety worries. However, it is ultimately up to each athlete to decide whether or not to compete. Humpy has said that she will make her decision closer to the competition.
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