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First Post
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- First Post
FIDE Women's World Cup: Koneru Humpy, Divya Deshmukh stay unbeaten after semifinal openers
Indian chess stars Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh held Chinese opponents Tingjie Lei and Zhongyi Tan to draws in the first leg of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 semifinals. Meanwhile, Humpy's pre-game meditation moment also went viral on social media because of Tingjie's reaction. read more Indian chess stars Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh made a solid start in the semifinals of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, holding their Chinese opponents to draws in the first games on Tuesday, July 22. Humpy, playing with black pieces, comfortably held China's Tingjie Lei to a draw, while Divya frustrated former world champion Zhongyi Tan with her solid defence. Both Indians will now have the advantage of playing with white pieces in the return leg of this fixture. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The second semifinal games will be held on Wednesday, July 23. If the scores remain tied after the two classical games, the semifinalists will head to faster tie-break games, which will be held a day later. The winner of this event is slated to get $50,000 (over Rs 43 lakh), while the runners-up and third place player will earn $35,000 (Rs 30 lakh) and $25,000 (Rs 21 lakh), respectively. The top-three players will also qualify for the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament. Funny moment before Humpy vs Tingjie game Humpy was seen meditating before her high-stakes semifinal clash against Tingjie. As Lei approached the board, she hesitated and quietly went about her routine because Humpy sat with her eyes closed, completely immersed in her thoughts. The scene quickly went viral on social media after FIDE shared it with the caption, 'When your opponent is meditating and you don't want to disturb the vibe…' 🧘♀️ When your opponent is meditating and you don't want to disturb the vibe… FIDE Women's World Cup. Semifinal 🇨🇳 Lei Tingjie – Humpy Koneru 🇮🇳#FIDEWorldCup — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 22, 2025 Humpy made history on Sunday by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the semifinals of a FIDE World Cup. The 38-year-old defeated China's Yuxin Song 1.5-0.5 in the quarterfinals. 'It feels happy to qualify without playing tie-breaks,' the Indian Grandmaster said after the match. 'I felt I could have played much better today, I was in a much better position, but slipped out in the time trouble.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, International Master Divya Deshmukh had earlier stunned everyone by storming into the semifinals on her debut appearance. She knocked out compatriot and senior Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli in the quarters. 'Very shaky,' she told FIDE. 'I think I am happy with the way I played. I don't think the last game went well but, not really (worried)…My preparation had a lot of role in that game and I would like to thank my coach for that.'
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First Post
a day ago
- Sport
- First Post
'Beating Zhu Jiner gave me confidence': Divya Deshmukh reflects on historic Chess World Cup run, credits mother's support
Indian teenage chess star Divya Deshmukh added a new chapter to her rising reputation on Monday, becoming only the second Indian to reach the semi-finals of the FIDE Women's World Cup. She reflects on her mother's support and the key factors behind her memorable run. read more Divya Deshmukh is only the second Indian to reach the semi-finals of FIDE Women's World Cup. Images: FIDE Teenage sensation Divya Deshmukh doubled India's delight at the ongoing FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 by becoming the second Indian woman ever to qualify for the semi-finals. The 19-year-old International Master from Nagpur, Maharashtra, defeated compatriot Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in a thrilling rapid tiebreak in Batumi on Monday after their quarter-final match ended in a draw. Divya will join veteran Koneru Humpy in the semi-finals, making it the first time India will have two players in the last four stage of a FIDE Women's World Cup. Humpy will face top seed Lei Tingjie of China in her semi-final, while Divya will be up against Tan Zhongyi, also from China. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The top three players from the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 will be guaranteed a spot in the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which will be played to find the challenger for the World Chess Championship. With two semi-finalists, India are guaranteed at least one spot. Divya Deshmukh reaches World Cup final 4 The impact of the history-making feat was quite evident on Divya's face as she defeated Harika. The teenager took a while to compose herself and recollect her thoughts. In a candid chat with Woman International Master Charlize van Zyl, Divya shared that he was still shaking from the memorable win. 'Very shaky,' she told FIDE. 'I think I am happy with the way I played. I don't think the last game went well but, not really (worried)…My preparation had a lot of role in that game and I would like to thank my coach for that.' 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh is through to the semifinals of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup!#FIDEWorldCup @DivyaDeshmukh05 — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 21, 2025 Divya has, of course, successfully crossed multiple odds to reach the semi-finals. Reflecting on her history-making journey, Divya said that the tiebreak win over second seed Zhiu Jiner of China in Round 4 of the tournament gave her the required 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' Divya added. In a separate social media post by FIDE, Divya spoke about her mother and how her support has helped her go this deep in the tournament. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD "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 — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 21, 2025 '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.'
News18
a day ago
- Sport
- News18
Divya Deshmukh Overwhelmed After Beating Compatriot D Harika At World Cup
Last Updated: 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! — 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.… — 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 — 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. view comments First Published: July 22, 2025, 08:33 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
NDTV
2 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Divya Deshmukh Gets Emotional After Reaching Chess Women's World Cup Semifinals
Divya Deshmukh produced a remarkable performance to defeat GM Harika Dronavalli in the Quarterfinals of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, winning both the tie-break games to advance to the semifinals. With this victory, Divya has become only the second Indian woman after GM Koneru Humpy to reach the semifinals of the FIDE Women's World Cup tournament. The match was tightly contested in the classical segment, but Divya grabbed her opportunity in the first tie-break, when Harika made a crucial error in the endgame. In the second tie-break game, Harika had chances to bounce back, but she missed a couple of winning opportunities, and Divya made her pay for it. As a result, Harika's campaign came to an end, while Divya marched on with great composure and maturity. 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh is through to the semifinals of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup! #FIDEWorldCup @DivyaDeshmukh05 — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 21, 2025 Divya will now face a tough opponent in the semifinals, the 16th Women's World Champion, GM Tan Zhongyi of China. The other semifinal will see India's top-ranked woman player, GM Koneru Humpy, take on China's Lei Tingjie, who had earlier defeated Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia. The final four is now confirmed, with two players from India and two from China remaining in the fray. Koneru Humpy got the better of China's Song Yuxin with a 1.5-0.5 score, while Tan Zhongyi knocked out Vaishali Rameshbabu with a score of 1.5-0.5. In the all-Indian Quarterfinal, Divya Deshmukh beat Harika Dronavalli 3-1, while Lei Tingjie dominated Nana Dzagnidze 2-0. As the tournament enters its business end, all eyes will be on the high-voltage India vs China clashes, with a place in the final at stake. The top three finishers of the tournament will earn a spot in the Candidates later this year. One thing is now confirmed, at least one Indian woman will be in the mix for a shot at the Candidates.
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First Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- First Post
Divya Deshmukh storms into FIDE Women's World Cup semi-finals as India set new record in Batumi
Divya Deshmukh has defeated Harika Dronavalli in the tiebreaks to enter the semi-final of the FIDE Women's World Cup. With Humpy already in the semis, this is the first time two Indians have made to the last four of the tournament. read more The All-Indian quarterfinal affair between Divya Deshmukh and Harika Dronavalli went down to the wire to the tiebreaks where the former got the better of the latter and in turn advanced to the semi-final of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. Divya defeated Harika with both white and black pieces in the tie-breaker. With the victory, she has become the second Indian to qualify for the semis. The victory becomes even sweeter for her as she made it through to the semi-final in her first appearance at the event. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Koneru Humpy made history on Sunday by beating Yuxin Song and thereby securing her spot in the top four. This is the first time two Indians have made it to the semi-final of the FIDE Women's World Cup. 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh is through to the semifinals of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup!#FIDEWorldCup @DivyaDeshmukh05 — International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 21, 2025 It will be India v China in the two semi-finals. Koneru Humpy v Lei Tingjie and Divya Deshmukh v Tan Zhongyi. (More to follow…)
