Koneru Humpy becomes Rapid chess world champion for the second time

Koneru Humpy won her second World Rapid Chess Championship title, beating Indonesia's Irene Sukandar. Humpy previously won in 2019. The 37 year old scored 8.5 points from 11 rounds.

Humpy, who previously won the title in 2019 in Georgia, joins China's Ju Wenjun as the only players to secure multiple championships in this format.

"I'm very excited and happy. In fact, I expected it to be a very tough day, like some sort of tie-break. But when I finished the game, the arbitrator told me (about winning), and it was a tense moment for me," said Humpy, who began with black pieces, after her victory.

Throughout her career, Humpy has demonstrated consistent excellence in Rapid championships, securing a bronze medal at the 2012 Moscow event and a silver medal last year in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The Indian No. 1, aged 37, accumulated 8.5 points from 11 rounds to secure her victory.