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FIDE Women's World Cup Final tie-breaker 2025 LIVE UPDATES: Koneru and Divya's tie-breaker underway
After two hard-fought draws between veteran Grandmaster Koneru Humpy and rising star IM Divya Deshmukh, the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 are deciding the title with a high-stakes tie-breakers today in Batumi. With neither player managing a victory in the classical games, the final showdown is expected to deliver a tense and thrilling finish as the two Indian chess talents battle it out for the championship title and a $50,000 prize.
Humpy, 38, brings with her a wealth of top-level experience and recently advanced through a gripping semi-final tie-break. Her calm under pressure and exceptional endgame skills make her a strong contender in rapid and blitz formats, where both quick thinking and steady nerves are crucial. Meanwhile, 19-year-old Deshmukh has impressed with her bold, attacking style, regularly toppling higher-rated opponents with speed and tactical prowess.
The tie-break phase will kick off with two rapid games, each with a time control of 10 minutes and a 10-second increment per move. If the match remains undecided, it will proceed to a faster set of two rapid games (5 minutes plus a 3-second increment). Should a winner still not emerge, the players will engage in blitz rounds (3 minutes plus a 2-second increment), repeated in a sudden-death format until the title is claimed.
There will be no live telecast of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 final tie-breaker in India.
2:02 PM
Koneru vs Divya Chess Women's World Cup LIVE UPDATES: Advantage Humpy?
Another minor misstep from Divya allows Humpy to widen her edge. She now has the opportunity to target Divya's rook on g3 with a knight maneuver and potentially gain a pawn.
1:57 PM
Koneru vs Divya Chess Women's World Cup LIVE UPDATES: 19 moves in!
We are 19 moves in as another bishop-for-knight exchange occurs as Divya compels Humpy to activate her queen, then swiftly follows up with a rook attack. Humpy calmly evades the danger.
1:56 PM
Koneru vs Divya Chess Women's World Cup LIVE UPDATES: Humpy attacks!
Humpy advances her knight deep into enemy territory before exchanging it for a bishop. She's aiming to unsettle Divya's setup, which already features an isolated central pawn.
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