In a dramatic and controversial finish at the Women's World Rapid Championship 2025 in Doha, India's Koneru Humpy was left heartbroken after being denied a chance to compete for the title in the playoffs, despite finishing tied for first place. The veteran grandmaster, who was the defending champion, had to settle for a bronze medal due to an unusual FIDE regulation that applied only to the women's section.
The Crushing Final Round
Entering the 11th and final round on Sunday, Koneru Humpy was in a three-way tie for the top spot with China's Zhu Jiner and Russia's Aleksandra Goryachkina, all having scored 8.5 points from 11 rounds and remaining undefeated throughout the tournament. With Zhu and Goryachkina having already drawn their final games, Humpy's path to the championship seemed clear. She only needed a victory against her 18-year-old Indian compatriot, Savitha Shri B.
However, in a stunning turn of events, Humpy faltered from a completely winning position and was forced to accept a draw. This result maintained the three-way deadlock at the summit, with all three players finishing on an equal score. While Humpy began mentally preparing for the tiebreaks to determine the ultimate champion, she soon discovered she would not be allowed to participate.
The Controversial FIDE Regulation
The reason for Humpy's exclusion lies in a specific FIDE rule introduced in September 2025 for the World Rapid & Blitz Championship. This change came after the major controversy of 2024, when Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi agreed to an early draw to share the title, bypassing regulations that required them to play to a decisive result.
The critical difference was in the tiebreak rules for the Open and Women's sections. For the Women's World Rapid Championship, Rule 4.2.4.2 stated: "If there is a tie for the 1st place, the top two players in the final standings according to the tie-break criteria shall play a play-off match to determine the Women’s World Rapid Champion."
This meant that in the women's section, only the top two players in the final standings after applying tie-break criteria could proceed to the title-deciding playoff. Humpy, despite being tied on points, was ranked third based on the Buchholz Cut 1 and Buchholz tiebreak systems. Consequently, she was barred from the playoff.
This restriction did not apply to the Open section, where all players tied for first place would be eligible for the tiebreaks. Had Humpy been in the same situation in the Open event, she would have had a shot at the title.
Aftermath and Broader Implications
Following Humpy's exclusion, Aleksandra Goryachkina defeated Zhu Jiner in a two-game blitz playoff, with a time control of 3 minutes plus a 2-second increment per move. Goryachkina was subsequently crowned the new Women's World Rapid Champion.
The incident has sparked debate within the chess community about the fairness and consistency of regulations across different sections of the same championship. Many have questioned why a rule that limits opportunity in a title decider is applied only to the women's competition.
In the Open section of the same championship, Norway's Magnus Carlsen claimed the rapid title, while India's Arjun Erigaisi won a bronze medal, marking his first major individual medal at this level.
For Koneru Humpy, the 38-year-old Indian legend, the tournament ended in immense disappointment. She not only missed the chance to defend her crown but was also prevented from fighting for it in a playoff due to a regulatory technicality, despite an undefeated performance throughout the championship.
