Ashok Koneru, Humpy’s dad and real chess obsessive of the family, makes a comeback after 22 years at Guntur Nationals

Some of the country’s most veteran grandmasters and the next line of India’s chess battlers have made their way to Guntur to compete at the ongoing National Chess Championships, being held at the Vignan University campus. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW VIDEO

Among these are veterans like Surya Shekhar Ganguly, Sasikiran Krishnan, Sethuraman SP, Abhijeet Gupta and young stars like Iniyan Pa, Srihari LR, Prraneeth Vuppala and Aarit Kapil.

But among the 394 chess players competing at the Nationals —which include as many as 14 grandmasters and 30 international masters—one name might stand out: Ashok Koneru.

Ashok is the father and the inspiration behind Koneru Humpy, one of the biggest chess players to emerge from the country. Ashok is back on the board playing in his first rated tournament after