Gender disparity in chess is an oft-discussed, polarizing issue. It is also a complicated one, with no clear answers. The best way to move the needle, then, perhaps is by trying to level the playing field.

The International Chess Federation’s (FIDE) unprecedented decision to organize the Open and Women’s Candidates tournaments simultaneously, at the same venue in Toronto, was a step in that direction.

The Open tournament gave us a historic new champion in the form of 17-year-old D Gukesh. The event’s youngest-ever winner expectedly garnered adulation and acclaim for his sensational triumph.

Concurrently, India’s two competitors in the women’s section – Vaishali Rameshbabu and Koneru Humpy – slid under the radar despite delivering performances to remember. Grandmaster (GM) Humpy scripted a spectacular comeback from the bottom of the standings in the first half, to end as runner-up upon superior tiebreak. Her 22-year-old compatriot Vaishali notched up five consecutive wins to finish joint-second on points, before signing off with the fourth spot on tiebreak.

Anyone even vaguely conversant with Indian chess is familiar with the powerhouse that is Koneru Humpy. The 37-year-old has made the country proud at the global stage on numerous occasions, and did the same at The Great Hall in Canada.

But the stalwart feels it was “not a great tournament” for her, overall. “I struggled a lot and recovered towards the end,” she told ChessBase India in an interview. The candour is reflective of not just her objectivity, but also the kind of standards she sets for herself.

“I didn’t expect to finish second. I was just playing to recover my rating points. That was my only motive in the second half,” she revealed.

But her years of experience shone through, and the 2019 world women’s rapid chess champion eventually stopped just short of becoming a Challenger to Ju Wenjun.

 While the current world number 5 Humpy has been there and done that in the past, for Vaishali, it was the first time competing in the tournament, and she gave a splendid account of herself.

Vaishali had just 2.5 out of a possible nine points when she turned the tide entirely with a string of victories. Vaishali defeated every competitor of hers in the last five rounds to finish with 7.5 points alongside Humpy after 14 rounds.

Meanwhile, the tournament saw Chinese GM Tan Zhongyi emerge as the winner and she will challenge countrymate Wenjun for the crown, later this year. Parallel to India’s success story in open chess, the dominance of China in the women’s section has been an evident theme.

The 27-year-old Lei Tingjie finished third behind Humpy, and while she and Zhongyi comprised the Chinese representation in the eight-player field, four out of the top-seven practitioners in the FIDE women’s ratings are from the country. This includes world number one Hou Yifan and No. 2 Wenjun, who is the reigning champion.

In contrast, three out of the top 15 are from India (Harika Dronavalli ranked 11th and Vaishali 15th). But the nation’s upsurge in the sport augurs well, and could lead to bigger, better results.

The All India Chess Federation (AICF) has confirmed that the country will bid for hosting rights of Gukesh’s World Championship showdown with Ding Liren, with Chennai the likely front-runner.

“We are definitely interested and there is no question about it. The process will begin soon and once we get the go ahead, then we will decide about the venue. One also has to keep in mind the geopolitics of it,” AICF treasurer Dharmendra Kumar told the Indian Express.

There could be no better venue for the marquee event than Gukesh’s hometown Chennai. The city had successfully hosted the FIDE Chess Olympiad in 2022, as also Viswanathan Anand’s 2013 world championship clash with Magnus Carlsen.

Furthermore, the state of Tamil Nadu is a veritable breeding ground of champions, which includes the prodigious R Praggnanandhaa. The 2023 World Cup silver medallist and Vaishali are the world’s only brother-sister duo to be GMs and were the first sibling pair to compete at the Candidates tournaments together.

The fanfare for Vaishali or Humpy could have rivalled what Gukesh is currently getting, had either of them won the women’s Candidates. But would that have masked the visible and invisible struggles of an Indian woman in chess?

The answer to that could hold the key for the sport’s equitable growth in the years to come.