The Hindu : 'I wanted to prove a point'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Aug 12, 2003

Sport

Sport - Chess

'I wanted to prove a point'

By Rakesh Rao

Koneru Humpy, who finished runner-up in National `B' chess championship at Nagpur, has announced that she will not return to the tournament again. — Photo: R.V. Moorthy

NEW DELHI AUG. 11. In spite of emerging as a real `winner' even after finishing second best to R.B. Ramesh, Koneru Humpy has declared that she will never return to the National `B' chess championship.

``No. I will never play the National `B' again. I came to Nagpur to prove that I was good enough to qualify (for National `A') and I did,'' said Humpy, discarding her familiar stoic look and doing some straight talking.

``I knew all along that everyone wanted to do well against me because I was the only Grandmaster in the field. It was a great experience to play against some very tough players. Most of the players here are actually stronger than what their ratings suggest. So it was far from easy,'' was how Humpy chose to put it while talking exclusively to The Hindu.

Humpy had surprised everyone, including the organisers, by reaching Nagpur for the championship. By virtue of being a Grandmaster, she was already seeded to the National `A'. Hence, there was no need for Humpy to play this qualifying championship from which 12 players make it to the final stage. But then Humpy had a one-point agenda.

Initially, Humpy maintained that she was at Nagpur for practice. "I did not do well in the two tournaments in Denmark so I wanted to play and gain some rating. I wanted some match-practice before taking a shot at one of the qualifying berths for the World championship from the Asian Women's championship at Kozhikode (from August 15),'' Humpy had said on being asked the reason behind her playing the fiercely competitive National `B'. After all, she had not played in this championship since 1997.

But once the championship was over, with Humpy finishing runner-up, the real reasons were disclosed. Not just by Humpy, but by her father-cum-coach Ashok, as well.

``We were not sure whether she was seeded to play in the National `A' because we did not receive anything in writing (from the All India Chess Federation). I don't want to say more. Also, we did not want anyone to say that she was not good enough to play National `A'.

By playing well and finishing second, Humpy has shown that she deserves to be in the elite group,'' said Ashok, with an unmistakable glint of pride in his eyes.

Almost every leading player was of the opinion that it was not fair to allow an already-seeded player to "practise'' in what is essentially a qualifying championship.

``It is like allowing Serena Williams to play the qualifiers of Wimbledon for practice before the main event. What's the big deal if Humpy has done well here? Being the top seed, she was always expected to qualify.

While all her opponents worried about qualification, she played under no pressure at all. So, for that one reason, she was better off than the rest,'' said one of the 12 qualifiers.

But it was not that Humpy was playing without pressure. It is true that like others, Humpy did not have to think about qualifying.

At the same time, she had her reputation at stake. In every round, the pressure was on Humpy to prove herself.

On her part, Humpy did not accept a single draw offer and played till finish.

Uncompromising stand

It was Humpy's uncompromising stand of not accepting short draws that made a few "affected'' players raise questions. "If it was any other open tournament, no one would have made a draw-offer to her. But in National `B' it is different. By playing on, Humpy, with due respect to her playing strength, ended up spoiling the qualifying chances of a few players,'' said an aggrieved player.

Another voice questioned Humpy's choice of competition for seeking `practice.' "Certainly, this championship is not for practice. It is perfectly fair to agree to short draws and remain in reckoning for qualification. But did she not seek short draws while making all those GM-norms in Hungary? Why did she then not insist on playing `for practice'? Obviously, Humpy's rivals in Hungary knew her stakes. At Nagpur, since her qualification was not on stake, she could afford to turn down draw offers from cautious players,'' was the grievance of another International Master.

But there were others, pleased with Humpy's no-nonsense approach. "It is only due to Humpy's eagerness to play every round that made some of other front-runners do likewise. With more decisive results on the top boards, it gave a fair chance to qualify for those fighting it out on the lower boards. She deserves to be complimented for being so unyielding,'' complimented another seasoned player, with those around nodding in agreement.

Despite mixed reactions on many issues, there is no denying the fact that Humpy gained immense respect of the majority of the players. One factor, which has been appreciated by one and all, is her loyalty to her sponsor, Bank of Baroda. Almost forever seen in her sponsor's T-shirt, Humpy was a picture of commitment to those who backed her through thick and thin. Clearly, no other chess player has given so much back to his or her sponsor, as Humpy.

Now that the AICF is getting ready to abolish direct seedings to the National `A' for those finishing outside the top-six, the next National `B' should attract more seasoned names. With the increase in competition and competitors, the next `B' championship will be over 15 rounds from which 14 qualifiers will be identified. Whether Humpy will be forced to return to this championship, only time will tell.

Humpy for men's National `A'

Meanwhile, Humpy has confirmed that she would be playing the men's National `A'. "I am very much interested in playing the National `A' where I'll try to make the Indian team for the Olympiad.''

On the question of Humpy playing in the women's National `A', Ashok did not sound too keen. "Barring a couple of players, there are hardly any challenger for Humpy in the women's `A'. And if both `A' championships are held concurrently, then of course, we would like to play in the men's event,'' said Ashok making their priorities clear.

On the other hand, quite rightly, the AICF would like Viswanathan Anand and Humpy to head the National teams in the next Olympiad. But ironically, both players have their reasons to do what they deem fit. For a change, on this issue, the AICF is finding it tough to have its way. As far as Humpy is concerned, it is time to move on.

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