Women play it differently

‘Women play it differently’
[ 2 Apr, 2007 2102hrs IST TIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

India’s youngest woman chess grandmaster Koneru Humpy unveils her strategy to us.

Meet Koneru Humpy – the world’s youngest player to be awarded the Men’s Grandmaster title. The 19-year-old is also the youngest to have won the British Woman Chess Championship title, and that too in 61 years history of British chess.

Plus she’s the only Indian girl to win four world titles. And she’s one of the youngest to be bestowed with the Padmashri award. Do we need to say more? Some notes from the champion herself…

Tell us how it all began?

I was six when my dad and I played a game of chess. And since then, there’s been no looking back. I didn’t want to go to school and I didn’t want to study. All I wanted to do was play Chess. And my folks were very supportive , and they even let me discontinue my studies to pursue my interest. But of course, I was just having fun playing the game, until I won the first National championship in 1996. That was my first tryst with success and it felt really good. Winning gives me pleasure. And I never wanted that feeling to die out. It’s been 19 years since that first victory and I am still striving and seeking to do better than before. There’s more to look forward to.

Here is the full interview.