Divya Deshmukh Overwhelmed After Beating Compatriot D Harika At World Cup
Divya Deshmukh has beaten Harika Dronavalli in FIDE Women's World Chess Cup quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals.
Star Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh was visibly overwhelmed after she got the better of compatriot and a much-experienced Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals of the FIDE Women's World Chess Cup, which is being played in Batumi in Georgia, and will determine which three players go on to play the Candidates next year.
After two uneventful draws in the classical matches, the pressure was on Harika in the rapid tiebreaks.
Divya capitalised with a determined performance to win the first match, before sealing the game in the second as Harika, in a must-win situation, overpressed in search of a miracle that never happened.
After Harika understood that there was no way out and shook hands with Divya to admit defeat, the latter had her hands on her face as she tried to control tears. Watch the video here:
Divya Deshmukh is overwhelmed with emotions as she beats Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in tiebreaks to reach a Women's World Cup semifinal against Tan Zhongyi! https://t.co/t9GrIeQbzR pic.twitter.com/zwoYoRJPf1 — chess24 (@chess24com) July 21, 2025
While Harika has been a semifinalist thrice in a similar format, which was earlier called the World Women's Championship, Koneru Humpy and now Divya have become the two Indians who made it to the semifinals of the Women's World Cup, as this is a part of the new World Championship cycle.
♟ FIDE Women's World Cup Round 5 tiebreaks: 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh stuns 🇮🇳 Harika Dronavalli to reach semifinalsDivya Deshmukh, the young IM from Nagpur, Maharashtra, continued her remarkable rise in the world of chess with a stunning victory over GM Harika Dronavalli in Batumi.… pic.twitter.com/PD0aA0Swtt
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 21, 2025
This means that one Indian entry is assured in the Women's Candidates Tournaments slated sometime in 2026, which will decide who will contest the World Championship game against incumbent Ju Wenjun of China.
'She is the biggest support here. I don't think that I would have come this far without her. It's really nice to see somebody who's always cheering on you in your good times and bad times." – 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh on her mother📷 Anna Shtourman/FIDE pic.twitter.com/Gotm7ENjPM
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 21, 2025
With Divya joining Humpy as the other semifinalist, it showcases a paradigm shift in Indian women's chess as well, where the boys have been making hay.
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First Published:
July 22, 2025, 08:33 IST
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