India, Aug. 15 -- One of the main reasons behind India's huge rise in chess in recent years is that Koneru Humpy recently reached the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup final. It was an all-Indian final, where she lost to young Divya Deshmukh. Other than the silver medal, the other consolation prize for the 38-year-old was that her berth in the final saw her secure a Candidates' berth.

The veteran Grandmaster has been a leading figure in the world of chess over the years, and she will be one of the favourites to clinch the Candidates next year.

The World Cup in Georgia had four Indians in the quarter-finals. Reflecting on the final, Humpy told Firstpost, "Having two Indians was something unexpected. That too in a knockout format. It is very c...