Explained: Why Koneru Humpy had to settle for bronze at World Rapid Championships

Koneru Humpy finished with a bronze in the women's section of the FIDE World Rapid Championships on Sunday.

Humpy’s bronze medal may appear puzzling at first glance. After all, the Indian grandmaster finished the women’s tournament level on points with the top two players. However, a closer look at the tournament regulations explains why she narrowly missed out on a third world rapid title.

Humpy, a former World Rapid champion in 2019 and 2024, ended the 11-round event on 8.5 points, the same tally as China’s Zhu Jiner and Russian grandmaster Aleksandra Goryachkina. Under FIDE regulations, players tied on points are separated using a predefined set of tie-break criteria rather than sharing titles or positions.

The primary tie-breaks applied were Buchholz Cut 1, Buchholz, and the average rapid rating of opponents faced during the tournament. These metrics reward players whose opponents collectively performed better across the event. Despite her strong campaign, Humpy’s tie-break scores were lower than those of Zhu and Goryachkina, pushing her to third place on the final standings.

The decisive moment came in the final round. Humpy drew her game against 18-year-old B Savitha Shri after missing a winning continuation. A victory would have taken her to nine points, eliminating any tie-break scenario and making her the first woman to win three World Rapid titles. Instead, the draw left her dependent on tie-break calculations.

With Humpy ranked third after tie-breaks, Zhu and Goryachkina advanced to a playoff to decide the title. Goryachkina eventually won the rapid tie-break to claim her maiden World Rapid crown.

In the Open section, India still had reason to celebrate as Arjun Erigaisi secured a bronze medal on 9.5 points, while world number one Magnus Carlsen claimed his sixth World Rapid title.