Divya Deshmukh vs Koneru Humpy: Tie-breaker to decide chess World Cup winner after summit clash ends in draw
Divya, who did not make utmost use of her promising opening in the first game of the match, was far more composed against a Queen pawn opening and faced little trouble playing with black pieces.
Humpy, got the optical advantage with her pair of bishops out of the opening but Divya knew that if she placed her knights perfectly, white will not be able to create many problems. As it happened in the game after two minor pieces, the pair of rooks also changed hands and the queen-and-minor-piece endgame only offered little hope.
Humpy tried to make some headway with a pawn sacrifice in the endgame but in the process her bishop pair was gone, and though a pawn plus, Divya had to cover some weaknesses.
After the dust settled, Humpy recovered the pawn back and Divya repeated the position through checks to sign peace in 34 moves.
The tiebreaker will see two games of 15 minutes each with a 10 second increment after every move is played. If the scores are still level, the players will play another set of 10 minutes per game with a 10 second increment. If the tie doesn't get resolved, it will be two more games of five minutes plus three second increment.
Should the deadlock continue, one game will be played with three minutes to both players with a two second increment unless one player ends up winner. In the play-off for the third place between China's Zhongyi Tan and Lei Tingjie, the match looked headed towards a draw.
Results: Koneru Humpy (Ind) drew with Divya Deshmukh (Ind); Lei Tingjie (Chn) playing Tan Zhongyi (Chn).
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Gender revolution on the chessboard
A historic campaign at the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup could easily be just about the champion Divya Deshmukh and the runner-up Koneru Humpy, but for India, it is so much more. The triumph is a sign that the chess revolution in India transcends the gender divide. This achievement by the duo stands on the shoulders of those who came before them. It includes the Khadilkar sisters (Vasanti, Jayanti, Rohini), who emerged in the 1970s and won the first 10 women's national championships among them, demanding to compete alongside men. Bhagyashree Thipsay played a role in the '80s and early '90s, but it was Humpy herself who took it up more than a few notches, by becoming India's first female Grandmaster (GM) at 15 and establishing herself as one of the strongest female players in the world. Deshmukh's rise and success are a part of the modern chapter that has already seen women become gold medal winners at the 2024 Chess Olympiad in Budapest. This is a generation that thinks differently. While some of the previous generation viewed themselves as outsiders, the younger women GMs (R Vaishali and Deshmukh) not only want to dominate the women's game, but also take on men. That, in a world which sees few women challenging the top male players, is a sign of the goalposts shifting. GM D Gukesh became the world champion at age 18, and Divya won the Women's World Cup at 19 — both are the youngest in history to do so. Most of this generation of players, regardless of gender, have grown up playing in the same academies. The confidence that they can beat anybody in the world, perhaps, comes from there. It's simply a given.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
7 hours ago
- First Post
Explained: How Divya Deshmukh became Grandmaster without fulfilling all FIDE norms and rating requirements
Divya Deshmukh made history on Monday by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 and becoming India's 88th Grandmaster. She won the GM title without meeting the usual norms or rating criteria. Here's how she achieved the feat. read more 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh created history on Monday, 28 July by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia, becoming the first-ever Indian to win the title. She defeated her senior and one of India's most respected players, Grandmaster Koneru Humpy, in a tense final that went down to the wire. With this win, Divya also earned the prestigious Grandmaster (GM) title, something very few players in the world have achieved. She became the 88th Grandmaster from India and only the fourth Indian woman to reach that level after Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and R Vaishali. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Also Read: Divya Deshmukh fights back tears, shares emotional hug with mother after FIDE Women's World Cup win; watch video How did Divya become a GM without fulfilling the usual rules? Becoming a Grandmaster in chess is not easy. A player must earn three GM norms in official FIDE-rated tournaments and cross a rating of 2500 at some point in their career. Divya entered the World Cup without a GM norm and her rating was below 2500. So, she didn't meet these requirements. However, there's a special rule in chess that made her achievement possible. It is known as the Direct Title rule. What is a Direct Title? The International Chess Federation, also known as FIDE, allows certain achievements to automatically grant a player the GM title. These are called Direct Titles. Winning tournaments like the Chess World Cup, Continental Championships and the Women's World Cup can directly qualify a player for the GM title without needing to complete norms or rating. So, by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup, Divya earned an automatic Grandmaster title. That's why she doesn't need to wait for two more norms or to cross 2500 anymore. How the final went down The final against Humpy was anything but easy. Both classical games ended in a draw. In the first rapid tiebreak game, Divya had the white pieces but couldn't make the most of it, and it ended in a draw after 81 moves. But in the second rapid game, Humpy made a few blunders under time pressure after 75 moves, and Divya was able to seal the win and with it the grand prize. With it came the cherry on top - the GM title.
Indian Express
8 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why Koneru Humpy's 2nd place finish at FIDE Women's World Cup deserves as much praise as winning title
Kushager Krishnater calls the week gone by the 'most draining seven days' of his career as a chess second. You have a feeling that Koneru Humpy, who at 38 is experiencing a second wind in her pathbreaking career, would agree. Humpy ended second in the FIDE World Cup on Monday, after losing to 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh in a battle of generations at Batumi. The defeat to Divya came after the first two games in the classical format on Saturday and Sunday ended in draws. Then the first game in the rapid section on Monday ended in a draw as well. Finally, in the second game, there was a breakthrough as Divya managed to clinch victory. For Humpy and team, finishing second after having come this far left them 'gutted', says Krishnater, who has been a second to Humpy since August 2022. This has included working with the Indian women's star during her FIDE Women's Candidates tournament challenge last year. He is an International Master, who has worked with over 10 Grandmasters. This includes super elite grandmasters like Arjun Erigaisi and Vidit Gujrathi, besides Humpy. A FIDE Master at 16, he was an IM by the age of 18. Krishnater says that the World Cup is the 'most difficult format' for Humpy, since, at 38, it means playing for one month at her peak level, which she managed until the final tiebreak game. He details the intense work that the team did after both classical games ended in draws. 'After the match against Alexandra Kosteniuk, the intensity of our work is something that we have never reached so far in our working relationship. For example, we worked till 11 in the night on Sunday (during the final against Divya). And on Monday morning, we started at 8 am, and went on till 11.30 am, which was just one hour before the game. She gave it all, despite like one month of consistency and her being in a stage of her career where she has played for so many years. It is a physically taxing job, playing nearly one month at a FIDE World Cup,' says Krishater. 'I can easily say that since the time we have been working together, this has been the most draining work — physically draining work — for both of us, especially for Humpy.' While he admits he did not discuss her workout regime, he does say: 'To do this for 24 days, I don't think it's easy for anyone. I'm sure she was working out diligently before she came. That's why even during the quarter-finals, she was very fresh.' It's that freshness, that's allowed her to keep battles going and try to squeeze water out of stone, like in the second classical game against China's Lei Tingjie, where Krishnater thought after a point that there was 'no venom left' in the pieces. But Humpy continued playing and soon, she was one move away from victory. On the board, all the work that is happening behind the scenes is bearing fruit. 'The fact that Humpy's style is constantly evolving and she is showing a familiarity with a lot of the latest trends tells me that she is working very hard, that she is still motivated to work and update herself on things. Most importantly, she courageously enters those battles with opponents no matter what their age or training was,' five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand told The Indian Express. The crazy hours Krishnater details are something that are par for the course for young teenage players like Divya or Gukesh, who have the energy to work for hours on chess before striding into a battle and then grind it out for five-six hours more. And then doing it all over again the next day. For Humpy, this was also a challenge because over the last few years, she has managed to find a balance between her family life and her professional pursuit — which is rare in Indian chess. As Krishnater points out, that ever since Humpy reached the quarters, she entered the zone of focussing primarily on her chess. 'After Humpy reached the quarter-finals, it has been so hectic. I can easily say that the past week has been like the most draining job for me. Having worked with all kinds of players, this has been the most difficult job. And then to think that Humpy is somebody who is 38, and still willing to give it all,' he says. The FIDE Women's World Cup is the second-most prestigious event in chess, behind the Women's World Championship. But unlike the Women's World Championship, which features up to 12 one-on-one battles between the same two players, the World Cup is a seven-round tournament where Humpy had to play six opponents of different skillsets in two one-on-one classical games (and games in faster time controls after that if needed). Besides the work behind the scenes, Anand also credits a changed mindset for Humpy's recent results: she won the World Rapid Championship in December last year for the second time in her career. Anand calls it Humpy's 'willingness to learn and to experiment' rather than sticking with things that have worked well for her. 'Her confidence, the fact that she has done well in the World Rapid Championship last year also suggests that she is comfortable with all kinds of formats. Maybe the main thing is an open mind. She is willing to take on any format, and doesn't tell herself that I'm good in this (format). The main force driving this for Humpy is that she feels good about herself,' says Anand before drawing a comparison with Hikaru Nakamura: 'Maybe she now competes without feeling a lot of pressure and she just thinks, 'let me try this and enjoy myself'. That attitude comes across very well, maybe in a way similar to Hikaru.' Amit Kamath is Assistant Editor at The Indian Express and is based in Mumbai. ... Read More
