Koneru Humpy is an Indian chess player. She holds the rank of number two in the world for women. She surpassed the rating of 2577 in 2007 and in January 2010 she got 2614 FIDE Elo rating. She is the second female player after Judit Polgar to cross the 2600 Elo mark. She was born on 31st March 1987 in Vijayawada in Andhra Pradesh in India. Her father was Ashok Koneru. He is a lecturer in chemistry and he is a wonderful chess player himself. He has won the South India Open Championship in 1985. Koneru Humpy was attracted towards chess when she was just 5. After spotting extraordinary skills in her, her father started to train her. Her father gave up his job to concentrate on his daughter’s chess career. 

She won the Under 8 National Chess Championship in 1995 and this made her popular. After proving her talents at the National level competitions she entered international chess circuit. She won the World Chess Championships in the Under 10, Under 12 and Under 14 age groups. When she was 12 she got the International Master title. She earned 3rd Grand Master title in the Elekes Memorial Grand Master Tournament held at Budapest in Hungary. She is not only a women grandmaster but also the youngest women ever to become a grandmaster. When she achieved this she was only 15 years 1 month and 27 days. Later in 2008 this was beaten by Hou Uifan. She got Arjuna Award in the year 2003, Padma Shri Award in the year 2007, and Raja-Lakshmi Award in the year 2008.