&w=3840&q=100)
FIDE Women's World Cup Final 2025 LIVE UPDATES: Koneru vs Divya in Game 2; match begins at 4:45 PM
An all-Indian final has brought Batumi, Georgia, alive, as Grandmaster Koneru Humpy and teenage sensation Divya Deshmukh lock horns in the decisive Game 2 of the FIDE Women's World Cup final. Game 1 ended in a thrilling draw, and each player now stands just a step away from one of the biggest prizes in women's chess: a $50,000 winner's purse, a place in history, and immense national pride.
In the opening game, 19-year-old Divya launched a bold piece sacrifice as White, aiming to unsettle Humpy and deny her king castling rights. For several moves, Divya was not just holding her own—analysis even suggested she had a clear advantage deep into the middlegame. However, in the heat of the moment, she missed a subtle but critical follow-up, and Humpy's experienced defence allowed her to claw back, defending tenaciously and forcing a perpetual check for the draw.
With colours reversed for Game 2, Humpy, a two-time World Rapid champion, has the edge of playing White—a colour she has wielded to magnificent effect throughout the tournament. Both players are now familiar with each other's opening preparation and nerves will be high, as a drawn classical mini-match will push this title bout into rapid and blitz tie-breaks on Monday.
Both Humpy and Divya have already secured spots in the next Women's Candidates, so Sunday's showdown is solely about glory and the trophy. Will the veteran's composure prevail, or can Divya's fearless style pull off a career-defining win? Chess fans everywhere await one more act of drama as a new queen is crowned in Batumi.
Koneru vs Divya Women's Chess World Cup Final 2025 live telecast:
The live telecast for the Koneru vs Divya Women's Chess World Cup Final 2025 is not available.
Koneru vs Divya Women's Chess World Cup Final 2025 live streaming:
The live streaming for the Koneru vs Divya Women's Chess World Cup Final 2025 will be available on FIDE's official YouTube channel.
4:10 PM
FIDE Women's Chess World Cup Final LIVE UPDATES Game 2: Game 1 recap
In the opening game, Divya Deshmukh took a bold approach with a daring piece sacrifice to disrupt Koneru Humpy's king safety. The 19-year-old gained a promising position and even held an advantage for much of the middlegame. But a missed opportunity at a crucial moment allowed Humpy to fight back with composed defence, eventually securing a draw through perpetual check.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Deccan Herald
an hour ago
- Deccan Herald
Govt committed to empowering young athletes: Minister Khadse
The 38th National Under-11 Chess Championship got underway here on Saturday with more than 550 players, a majority of them FIDE-rated, competing for a total prize purse of Rs 8 lakhs. The championship is being conducted in the Swiss League format across 11 competitive rounds, offering participants the opportunity to improve their FIDE international ratings. Among the noteworthy contestants are Advik Agrawal from Pune (FIDE Rating 2251) and Divi Bijesh from Kerala (FIDE Rating 1869). Inaugurating the tournament, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Raksha Khadse laid stress on the significance of opportunities during formative years, aligning with the ministry's vision to foster a vibrant sports culture at the grassroots level. She highlighted the government's commitment to empowering young athletes through flagship initiatives like the 'Khelo Bharat Niti 2025' and the 'Khelo India' programme. These initiatives aim to nurture sporting talent, promote fitness, and provide the necessary infrastructure to develop future sporting champions. She extended her best wishes to the players, noting that chess instills invaluable qualities such as discipline and intellectual sharpness, laying the foundation for their future success, in both sports and life. Players from Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Punjab, and Rajasthan among others are competing in the tournament.
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Divya Deshmukh's World Cup triumph could be the catalyst to spur Indian women's chess to challenge Chinese domination
In Georgia's Batumi, the easternmost corner of Europe, Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Hump were busy battling each other for glory after dismantling China's dominant force and some world-class individuals en route to the summit clash of the FIDE Women's World Cup 202. Meanwhile, something unusual was unfolding in Western Europe. In Aix-en-Provence, 14-year-old Women's FIDE Master (WFM) Prishita Gupta was sweeping through the competition. By the time she finished the two events in France — the Paris Masters and the 2nd Dole Trophy Pasino Grand Aix Masters 2025 — her rating had soared to 2353, a staggering 135 Elo points higher than where she had begun. Prishita started July with a rating of 2218. Her performance at the Grand Aix Masters also earned her her maiden WIM norm. Prishita's rise is even more astonishing considering that back in 2022, she was barely rated 1300. For context, the lowest possible FIDE rating one can start with is 1000, though even that is rare, as initial ratings are based on performance in the first few games against rated opponents. From being a near-rookie to now the eighth-highest-rated Indian woman in chess, all in just three years, is both a monumental achievement and proof that Indian chess is a talent factory with no signs of slowing down. While the 38-year-old Humpy is enjoying a second wind in her career, Divya's World Cup triumph at 19 stresses India's growing depth in the modern era of chess. But is it enough? Talents like R. Vaishali, Vantika Agrawal, and Divya Deshmukh are promising, but can they carry the torch for the next two decades? The landscape is undoubtedly improving. For years, India relied solely on Koneru Humpy and, to a lesser extent, Harika Dronavalli, who shouldered the dual burden of personal and national expectations. But now, it is time to turn the tide. GM Abhijeet Kunte draws parallels between Divya's breakthrough and the domino effect seen in Indian men's chess after Gukesh's World Championship victory. 'Chess in India has been dominated by Humpy and Harika for nearly 20–25 years. Humpy recently became a World Rapid Champion, adding a second rapid world title to her name,' reminded Kunte, who was the captain of the Indian women's team at the Budapest Chess Olympiad 2024, where they claimed the country's first-ever team gold in the most prestigious team event in the sport. 'Both she and Harika have performed exceptionally well at the international level. However, the Women's World Championship title has always eluded Indian players until now. With Gukesh's recent triumph, we hope Divya will follow a similar path, ushering in a new generation that brings these prestigious titles home,' he added. For Divya, the World Cup title brought many firsts as she not only secured a spot in the prestigious 2026 Candidates Tournament (as did Humpy) – which will decide the challenger for the World Championship title. Divya also became only the fourth female Grandmaster from India. Her coach in the past and one of India's finest chess trainers and a Dronacharya Awardee, RB Ramesh, believes the GM title is a game-changer not just for Divya but for Indian women's chess as a whole. 'That will be a huge confidence boost for her, especially since we don't have many women players becoming grandmasters. Before her, India had only three,' Ramesh told The Indian Express. 'Hopefully, she will inspire young girls to take up chess more seriously and professionally. She will likely be one of the youngest players in the Candidates— perhaps even the youngest,' he added. While Ramesh predicts that Divya could become India's strongest female player with the potential to 'reach a 2650 rating,' he also expresses concern about the overall depth of Indian women's chess. 'This isn't a very healthy sign. On the men's side, we have players like Praggnanandhaa, Arjun (Erigaisi), Gukesh (Dommaraju), Nihal (Sarin), and Rounak (Sadhwani)—just in India, I can name five or six players who are among the world's top 20. That's not the case in women's chess. We need more young girls to take up the game seriously and pursue it professionally. Fortunately, this is already starting to happen,' Ramesh said. 'We do have some promising young girls, but it will take a few more years. I believe that in the near future, seeing players like Humpy — who is still performing exceptionally well at 38 — will help. This is good for India in the short term, as we have two strong players performing well. Now, we just need more young talent to emerge,' he added. Players like Prishita are emerging, but as for matching China's depth, that remains a distant dream for now. The top five players in the current world rankings are all Chinese. The world hasn't seen a non-Chinese player claim the throne in women's chess in the last decade, with Hou Yifan, Tan Zhongyi, and Ju Wenjun sweeping all World Championship titles since 2016. Even without the same iron grip they once held at the turn of the century, China continues to produce elite players. The next crop of talents, like Miaoyi Lu and Yuxin Song, only grows stronger with each tournament. Breaking the Great Chinese Wall in women's chess is India's next big challenge. Divya's breakthrough might just be the trigger the country needed.
India Today
4 hours ago
- India Today
Divya Deshmukh exclusive: Fearless chess, World Cup win, and India's surge
India's meteoric rise began in March-April 2024 with Gukesh's Candidates triumph, followed by his World Championship win on December 12, 2024, at the age of 18. On July 29, 2025, Divya added another jewel to the crown by winning the Chess World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. With the title, she became the 88th Grandmaster and the youngest winner of the World her win, Divya has been inundated with congratulatory messages. She received a grand welcome in her hometown of Nagpur and has since met Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra five days after her triumph, Divya spoke to India Today, describing the emotional rollercoaster of the final, her aggressive playing style, India's domination over China in recent months, and how she balances performance with FROM THE INTERVIEW Q) Divya, it's been five days. You entered Batumi as an International Master and a strong contender for the World Cup title. Five days later-you're the 88th Grandmaster, World Cup winner, with a Candidates spot. You've met the Chief Minister. How much sleep have you had? Have you managed to recover? Are you still processing it all?Divya Deshmukh: I haven't had any sleep. It's been quite a chaotic week-but I think this is the kind of chaos people want, so I can't complain much. But yes, I definitely need a lot more time to recover.Q) What were your thoughts when Koneru Humpy made that final blunder? What did you feel in those first few moments when you realised you were about to win the World Cup?Divya Deshmukh: I was so focused on the game, and you can't let emotions take over until it's actually over-there's always a fighting chance. For me, the moment it hit was around 30 seconds before she resigned. I didn't have much time to process it. And once she actually resigned, it was a flood of emotions. It was quite surreal.Q) There's a viral video of you, Gukesh, and Leon Mendonca discussing the game's nuances. Your play in the rapid tiebreakers was aggressive, despite drawish openings like the Catalan and Queen's Gambit. Where does that aggression come from? What drives it?Divya Deshmukh: I think it's just the way I've been brought up. It's always been with me-nothing new. For me, it's just inbuilt to look for aggressive ways to complicate the game. I think I perform better in those situations. So yes, it's natural.Q) What was the one game in the tournament that gave you the confidence that you could go all the way and win the title?advertisementDivya Deshmukh: I always had faith in myself and the belief that I wanted to go for the title. But I wasn't really aiming for it-I was just focused on taking it one game at a time. Then, when I reached the finals, I thought, okay, maybe now it's time to really fight for the title.Q) Can we call you the "Chinese Grandmaster Killer"? You beat Hou Yifan in the World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships, Zhu Jiner, and Tan Zhongyi at the World Cup. What's made you so consistent against China's best? Is there a particular weakness you've uncovered?Divya Deshmukh: That's a tough question. I don't know if it's about them, really. All of them are very strong players. But I didn't do anything new-I just kept fighting until the end. I think that's what helped me.Q) Your opening prep and defensive endgames were solid. You mentioned your Hungarian second, who burned the midnight oil for you. What adjustments did you make between the World Rapid/Team Blitz and the Chess World Cup?Divya Deshmukh: It's not really comparable-they're two completely different tournaments. First, the format: the World Cup is classical, not rapid or blitz. Rapid events are a bit less stressful and happen every year. The World Cup only happens every two years. That was also a team event; this was individual. So yes, the preparation was very different. I had to work much harder. And this was also a test of emotional, physical, and mental resilience-because it's an elimination format, and you could be out at any After your win, you said it was "fate." And you'd already beaten Humpy before-at Tata Steel in the Rapids. But why describe this title as fate? From the outside, your play looked solid and Deshmukh: I said "fate" in reference to how I got my GM title-not about beating Humpy. Before going into the tournament, I had no GM norms. And then overnight, I went from IM to GM with no norms. That's why I called it fate.Q) We're clearly in a golden era-Gukesh is World Champion at 18, Pranav Venkatesh is World Junior Champion, you and Humpy are in the Candidates. But on the flip side, you're still only India's fourth female Grandmaster. Why do you think India hasn't produced more women GMs? Are you hopeful this will now change?Divya Deshmukh: Definitely. I was very happy when Humpy reached the finals, because it's a great thing for Indian chess. Whether I win or Humpy wins, it's going to inspire young girls either way. I really hope it motivates them. And with the recent chess boom, it's quite obvious-this is not the end. There are going to be many You've been called the "CEO." Dina Belenkaya called you the "Bollywood girl." The attire you wore also became symbolic-people said you kept winning because of the outfit's colour! Now, heading into the Grand Swiss and Candidates, will you be thinking more about your chess or your wardrobe?Divya Deshmukh: (laughs) No, of course not. I don't spend much energy thinking about what I'll wear. It maybe takes up 1 percent of my mind space. It's something that helps me feel confident and powerful-that's why I do it. But the focus is chess. Definitely not clothes. - Ends
