A Girl Chess Champion

In the year 2000, a smiling girl from Guntur, India, created a record. Koneru Humpy, who turned 13 on March 3lth that year, won the under-l4 boys' title in the National Children Chess Championship. She became the first Indian female player to win a boys' title.

Humpy was born in 1987. She began playing chess at the age of six in 1993. She picked up the finer points of the game so well that one year later, in 1994, she won the very first tournament （锦标赛）she played in.

Humpy was trained by her father, Ashok Koneru, a chess player himself. He stopped teaching chemistry at a college to concentrate on coaching his daughter. After he left his job, he faced financial problems while training and travelling with his young daughter. But the local government came to his financial aid. The Bank of Baroda sponsored （赞助） Humpy and gave her a desk-top computer. Now she has a notebook computer as well, which she carries for tournaments.

Humpy practices for six hours daily with her father. Her preparation is mostly on the chessboard. Now she has stared preparing with computers. Like many seniors do. The eighth-grade student of Guntur has also been greatly encouraged by her school. She is given time to prepare for chess and her teachers give her special classes. With such support, Humpy is sure to win many more chess titles in her career.

Many senior players make preparations on the chessboard.