Sport - Chess

Humpy's quest for final GM-norm

HYDERABAD MAY 12. Fifteen-year-old World junior champion, Koneru Humpy, will take part in the Elekes Memorial Grandmasters tournament in Hungary from May 18 to 30, according to Mr. Koneru Ashok, father-cum-coach of the chess prodigy.

The Bank of Baroda-sponsored girl will also take part in the First Saturday Grandmasters tournament to be held in Budapest from June 1 to 13. Humpy, winner of four World championship titles including the under-10, 12, 14 and the World junior title, will be on yet another sojourn in search of her third and final GM-norm to become the only Indian to earn the GM title in both men's and women's sections.

"I am confident of putting up a much better performance this time around,'' Humpy said when reference was made to the dismal show on her last trip when she was even forced to quit the second tournament. "I am confident that my solid preparations in new novelties in openings and middle-games will come very handy in the next two tournaments,'' Humpy explained.

The 10th standard student of Chalapathi Residential School (Lam, Guntur) is also very keen to brush aside the controversy over her decision to skip the National `A' currently being played in Lucknow and focus on the job ahead. "Though I am bit disturbed at the comments made after my decision to skip National `A', I don't think that they will hamper my performance anyway,'' she explained.

The youngest Woman Grandmaster is optimistic of returning home with the GM title this time around. "I know it is due for a long time and hope to set the clock right for that will also silence quite a few critics,'' Humpy remarked. She will be accompanied by her father-cum-coach, Ashok. — Our Sports Reporter

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