Koneru Humpy's Narrow Miss As Doha Delivers Drama At World Rapid Championships

Sometimes, the difference between history and heartbreak comes down to the smallest of margins. Koneru Humpy learned that the hard way at the FIDE World Rapid Championships on Sunday, finishing with the bronze medal after falling short on tie-breaks despite doing almost everything right. Humpy, the World Rapid champion in 2019 and again in 2024, ended the women's event unbeaten with 8.5 points from 11 rounds - the same score as China's Zhu Jiner and Russian Grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkina. On the board, the three were inseparable. On paper, however, the tie-break rules told a harsher story. Humpy's numbers left her third, denying her the chance to fight for what would have been a historic third world rapid title.

The turning point came in the final round. Paired against her compatriot, 18-year-old B. Savitha Shri, Humpy had her chances. A win would have taken her to nine points and into uncharted territory - no woman has ever won the World Rapid crown three times. Instead, a missed winning line allowed Savitha, playing with remarkable maturity, to force a draw after 64 moves. The point was enough for Humpy to stay joint-top, but not enough to escape the cruel arithmetic of tie-breaks.

Savitha's performance deserved applause of its own. The Chennai teenager finished fourth with eight points, just ahead of R. Vaishali, who also impressed with an identical score. Women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh placed eighth with 7.5 points, while D. Harika ended her campaign in 19th.

Meanwhile, World No.1 Magnus Carlsen once again stamped his authority in the Open category, claiming a record-extending sixth World Rapid title. The Norwegian, who has previously won in 2014, 2015, 2019, 2022 and 2023, finished on 10.5 points and earned €70,000. Carlsen rebounded strongly from a seventh-round loss to Vladislav Artemiev, winning three straight games before drawing with Anish Giri in the final round.

Artemiev finished second on 9.5 points, while India's Arjun Erigaisi defeated Aleksandr Shimanov in the last round to also reach 9.5 and secure the bronze medal on tie-breaks. Reigning classical world champion D. Gukesh finished 20th with 8.5 points.

The World Blitz Championships begin on Monday, with Carlsen starting as the overwhelming favourite and Humpy hoping to bounce back in the faster format.