Women's Chess World Cup 2025: Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh to Face-Off in Historic All-Indian title clash
Synopsis
Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh will face off in the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 final, assuring India its first world title in women's chess. Both defeated top Chinese players in the semifinals to script history and set up an all-Indian title clash.
In a historic achievement for India, two Indian women chess players will play the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. This will be India's first world title in women's chess.
India's Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh entered the final, defeating their Chinese opponents to set up the title clash.
Divya Deshmukh defeated her Chinese opponent Tan Zhongyi 1.5-0.5 in the semis, whereas Koneru Humpy won against Lei Tingjie by a 5-3 margin.
Humpy's first game with Lei Tingjie ended in a draw at 0.5-0.5 each, and so did the other semifinal first game between Tan Zhongyi and Divya.
"Divya Deshmukh and Humpy Koneru will face off in an all-Indian Final at the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025! Who are you backing in the Final? Results - Semifinal: Divya Deshmukh 1.5-0.5 Tan Zhongyi, Humpy Koneru 5-3 Lei Tingjie," International Chess Federation said in a post on X.
First Indian woman in FIDE World Cup semifinal
Earlier, Humpy created history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the tournament. A solid draw in the second game of her quarterfinal clash against China's IM Song Yuxin was enough to seal the deal, according to ESPN.
There were a couple of minor inaccuracies along the way, but Humpy kept things under control, playing safe and smart. Eventually, her opponent settled for a draw, which confirmed Humpy's passage into the final four.
Deshmukh Outmarts Dronavalli in quarterfinal
Deshmukh produced a remarkable performance to defeat compatriot GM Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals, winning both the tie-break games to advance to the semifinals.
The match was tightly contested in the classical segment, but Divya grabbed her opportunity in the first tie-break, when Harika made a crucial error in the endgame. In the second tie-break game, Harika had chances to bounce back, but she missed a couple of winning opportunities, and Divya made her pay for it. As a result, Harika's campaign came to an end, while Divya marched on with great composure and maturity.
Four Indian women had entered the quarterfinals of the FIDE Women's World Cup for the very first time, creating a unique achievement for India.