Credit: International Chess Federation
India chess player Divya Deshmukh displayed nerves of steel against her compatriot Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli in the quarter-finals of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup 2025, getting played in Batumi, Georgia. Harika was under immense pressure in rapid tiebreaks following a couple of stalemates in the classical contests. Divya took advantage of Harika’s frailty to win the opening game. Harika’s defeat in the first game made the second one a do-or-die for her. In the crunch situation, she faltered and eventually capitulated by shaking hands with Deshmukh. Dronavalli left the table after accepting her defeat but Deshmukh was seen controlling her tears.
Following the superb win, Divya said that her tiebreak victory over second seed China’s Zhiu in Round 4 filled her with confidence. “Zhu Jiner was definitely my toughest opponent up to now and winning the tiebreak against her gave me confidence for this one. I didn’t want to play tiebreaks but this is my fate, and for the moment it’s going well,” said Deshmukh.
Divya Deshmukh joins Koneru Humpy in the top four of the tournament
Divya Deshmukh’s triumph has led her to the semi-finals of the tournament. She has joined her compatriot Koneru Humpy, who advanced to the top four after a draw against China’s Song Yuxin. Humpy will next face China’s Lei Tingjei while Deshmukh will square off against Tingjei’s countrywoman Tan Zhongyi. Zhongyi outclassed Vaishali Rameshbabu in the quarterfinal with a score of 1.5-0.5 while Tingjie got the better of Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze 2-0.
This tournament is also a part of the new World Championship cycle. The top three performers of this competition will play the Women’s Candidates Tournaments, scheduled to be played sometime in 2026, which will determine who will take on the World Championship match against incumbent Ju Wenjun of China.
