Young Stars Reign Supreme as Humpy Clinches Second World Rapid Crown

The third day of the 2024 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship witnessed a dramatic finale in both the Open and Women's competitions, crowned with notable victories by 18-year-old Volodar Murzin in the men's event and top-rated Indian female chess player Koneru Humpy securing her second World Rapid Championship title.

Murzinz' meteoric rise saw him claiming the 2024 FIDE World Rapid Chess Championship after delivering a stellar performance featuring seven victories, six draws, and no defeats. The young gun demonstrated consistent brilliance throughout the tournament, ultimately clinching the title with a comfortable draw against Armenian GM Karen H. Grigoryan.

"I didn't expect it to be this hard," Murzin said in his post-championship remarks, when asked about the intensity of the competition. "I wanted to win, I was a bit lucky, but it worked."

However, it wasn't just Murzin who made headlines, as top-rated Indian female chess player Koneru Humpy secured her second World Rapid Championship title with 8.5 points out of 11.

The young sensation had quiet beginnings in the competition, scoring only 2.5 points from four games on day one. But a resurgence began to unfold by the end of day two, pushing her into shared first place alongside compatriot Harika Dronavalli and reigning Classical World Champion Ju Wenjun of China.

However, Koneru's unyielding prowess propelled her up the leaderboard, ultimately securing clear first place with an 8.5-point overall score – a full point ahead of Ju Wenjun, who finished second.

The top spot was shared by both men and women – Murzin and Grischuk in the Open category, while Koneru outlived the competition to claim the Women's World Rapid Championship title.

Greece's Alexander Graf took the bronze medal with 8.0 points.

Final Standings

Rapid Open:

Humpy Koneru Clinches her second World Rapid Crown Hummy won 1. Volodar Murzin (18) 2=Alexander Grischuk and Ian Nepomniachtchi 9.5 points 3=Kateryna Lagno, Tan Zhongyi, Harika Dronavalli, Alexandra Kosteniuk, Afruza Khamdamova 9.0 points. Final standings Rapid Open is available here: Schedule – 2024 FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships.

Full information and results are on the official event webpage: worldrapidandblitz.fide.com