Koneru Humpy took some time to get used to it. One chessboard would pop up on her computer screen, then another, and another. Nineteen of them, in fact.
It was the first time she was playing simultaneous chess online. By the time she finished her games late on Saturday night, she was tired. But, she didn't mind. She enjoyed the experience and was happy to contribute for a noble cause.
Humpy and five other top Indians — Viswanathan Anand, Vidit Gujrathi, P. Harikrishna, B. Adhiban and D. Harika — took on rivals from around the world in a fund-raising event to help India fight the coronavirus.
They were able to generate more than ₹4.5 lakh towards the PM-CARES Fund through their simultaneous games on chess.com (the participants were required to donate in order to play the Grandmasters).
“It was not easy, but I am glad I could be part of this great event,” Humpy told The Hindu . “My opponents were reasonably strong.” Still, she won all her games except one. “In that game too, I was in a better position before I blundered my queen,” she said.
While Humpy had logged in from her home in Vijayawada (she locked herself up in a room so that her little daughter would not disturb her), Anand played from an apartment in Frankfurt. The five-time World champion has been stranded in Germany since the pandemic outbreak.
He played 21 games and won 18. Three were drawn. It was a new experience for him, too. In fact, it was the first ever online simultaneous display for all the players.
Anand admitted he was feeling exhausted. “Towards the end it was hard to work out the positions,” he said. “I am very happy and grateful to all the participants. I hope they enjoyed it.”
Gujrathi, the second strongest in the field, said he had enjoyed playing against 20 players at the same time. “Except in a couple of games, I had to work hard right through,” said World No. 23 who played from his home at Nashik. Harikrishna made his moves from Prague, while Adhiban, the only one to win all games, played from Chennai.
