Humpy begins quest for final GM norm

World junior chess champion Koneru Humpy begins her quest for her third and final Grandmaster's norm at the First Saturday GM tournament, starting in Budapest on Saturday.

This being a category 9 tourament, the 14-year-old Humpy, with an ELO rating of 2484, will be facing tough opponents. She is seeded fifth in a 14-player field.

The ninth standard student, sponsored by Bank of Baroda, will become the youngest WGM to attain the Grandmaster title, shattering her idol Judith Polgar's record, should she attain the third GM norm in this tournament.

The 13-round tournament, with an average ELO rating of 2451-plus has attracted title aspirants from Hungary, Germany, Yugoslavia, USA, Argentina and India.

GM Horvath Jozsef of Hungary, with a rating of 2551, plays on the top board, followed by his compatriot GM Berkes Ferenc, who has a rating of 2541, Zlatko Ilincic, Yugoslovia (2521), Zoltan Varga, Hungary (2506) and Koneru Humpy, India (2484).

Humpy and her father-cum-coach Ashok left for the Hungarian safari on Monday with adequate preperation and sharpening of the opening and middlegame strategies.

The father and daughter, during a recent interaction with newsmen, had said they would concentrate on the openings and the crowded middlegame before going to Budapest.

Ashok, who left his teaching career, to coach his daughter to cherish his unfulfilled dream of getting near the world championship, says that they are in no hurry to appoint a foreign coach.

"We can handle things as of now. We can appoint a second as and when we feel necessary. Right now I am father, coach and her second," Ashok said.

Following is the line-up for the tournament in which Humpy is the only Woman Grand Master among four Grand Masters and nine International Masters:

GM Horvath Jozsef (Hungary), GM Berkes Ferenc (Hungary), GM Ilincic Zoltko (Yugoslavia), GM Varga Zoltan (Hungary), WGM Koneru Humpy (India) are the first five seeded players.

The nine International Masters (IMs) in the fray are Cao Sang (Hungary), Czebe Attila (Hungary), Horvath Adam (Hungary), Felgaer Ruben (Argentina), Tejas Bakre (India), Schenk Andreas (Germany), Bokros Albert (Hungary), Antal Grgely (Hungary) and Paschall William (USA).