Latest news with #Women'sSpeedChessChampionship
The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Divya Deshmukh to play in Open section at FIDE Grand Swiss 2025
Women's World Cup winner Divya Deshmukh confirmed on Friday that she will be playing in the Open section at the upcoming FIDE Grand Swiss chess tournament which will begin on September 3. 'So, the news I posted yesterday about was that I will be participating in the open Grand Swiss this year,' the 19-year-old posted on her Instagram story. Divya recently played the Women's Speed Chess Championship — her first tournament since a historic triumph at the FIDE World Cup — where she went down fighting against World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the quarterfinals. Other top Indian players involved in the Open section include World Champion D. Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, R. Praggnanandhaa, Vidit Gujrathi, Pentala Harikrishna, and Nihal Sarin. In the women's section, 2025 World Cup runner-up Koneru Humpy and R. Vaishali will be taking part amongst Indians. Aleksandra Goryachkina will also be competing in the Open category after Divya and the Russian player requested wild cards. The tournament is also a qualifier for the FIDE Women's Candidates, but neither will have to sweat about that since they have already booked their spots. International Master and leading chess commentator Tania Sachdev recently suggested that women chess players should try to play more Open tournaments to improve themselves, while also arguing that women-specific titles shouldn't be done away with. 'I feel like young girls should play in as many open tournaments as possible. They should train and compete against men and not focus only on women-only tournaments. But I also feel that there is no need to take away women's titles. Because, for many players, that is an aspiration, encouraging young girls to take up the sport. [Doing that] will take away an entire generation of chess players,' said Sachdev, who was on commentary duty at the Chennai Grand Masters 2025.
Indian Express
a day ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
In speed chess, Divya Deshmukh shows promise after pushing World No.1 Hou Yifan to the limit
Ever since Divya Deshmukh became an overnight sensation with her triumph at the recently concluded Women's World Cup, it was almost certain that the teenager would attract many eyeballs and keen observation of her games whenever she took on the world's best. After taking a small break from her schedule, post her historic success as the first Indian to win the World Cup, Divya was back in action this week for an online event. She was soon presented with a litmus test, one that demanded the toughest answers in the shortest time. She competed in the 2025 Women's Speed Chess Championship, where, as the name suggests, she faced one of the best in the business in the fastest time control. Divya was one of only two Indians in the fray for the title of queen of speed chess, alongside R Vaishali. But when Vaishali lost her Round-of-16 clash against USA's IM Alice Lee, the onus shifted entirely to Divya. Divya's path to the top 16 was far from simple; she had to face China's Lei Tingjie in the Round of 16. Like any elite Chinese player, Lei posed a familiar threat, one that has often overwhelmed Indian players in time scrambles. Having lost her World Cup semifinal to Koneru Humpy, Lei was determined to make amends against Divya in the speed chess event. But the 19-year-old Indian, playing the best chess of her career, dismantled Lei with ease, booking a quarterfinal clash against World No.1 Hou Yifan. Divya's fierce approach left Lei no room to recover, as the Chinese suffered a crushing 10-3 defeat, exiting the event surprisingly early. This set the stage for a dream showdown: Divya vs Hou Yifan, an in-form Indian prodigy against China's greatest player, battling in blitz and bullet chess. Regardless of the result, one thing was certain that the duel would produce electrifying games when the two finally faced off. Though Divya was riding an unprecedented career high, and Hou, now a semi-retired professional more inclined toward academia, the Chinese grandmaster still possessed enough strength to defeat any opponent, in any format, on any given day. Defeating Hou was never going to be a cakewalk for anyone and Divya's attempt proved no exception. Yet the teenager came out all guns blazing, surprising Hou with her sharp preparation. Defying expectations, she made early inroads, not only salvaging a draw from a worse position in the first game but soon surging to a 2.5-0.5 lead in the 5+1 minute format. Hou had no answers to the punches thrown by the Indian prodigy. 'Look at that, look at that… what a girl!' says Judit Polgar as Divya Deshmukh finds some brilliant tactics to pick up the 1st win! — chess24 (@chess24com) August 14, 2025 It was at this moment that Judit Polgar, the greatest female chess player of all time, weighed in. 'How difficult it is for Hou Yifan, look at her body expression. The way she sits there now compared to the way was sitting in game one. She has to bounce back, she has to get back,' said Polgar to IM Jovanka Houska while commentating for the official broadcasters. 'She needs to show her resilience and say, 'Come on, okay, I got a cold shower in game one and two in different ways, but I'm going to be back in business. I am going to show who is the boss, who has the experience,' and she (Hou) wants to give Divya a lesson, I'm pretty sure,' she added. Divya proved to be an equal match for Hou throughout their encounter, holding her own despite her lead slipping once the match shifted to the 3+1 time format. Undeterred, she counterpunched, regaining the advantage in the 1-minute bullet segment. Hou Yifan wins the closest match of the 2025 Women's #SpeedChess Championship so far! — chess24 (@chess24com) August 14, 2025 'It's an incredible kick from Divya, basically, it's like she punched Hou Yifan, who was still feeling dizzy after that knock,' Polgar said. Eventually, with nerves of steel, it was Hou who mounted yet another comeback, levelling the score at 9.5-9.5 before clinching the final tiebreak to advance. 'There was a lot of excitement and nerves. It was clearly a close, head-to-head battle between the two players,' Polgar remarked after the match. The Women's Speed Chess Championship is an online single-elimination tournament featuring 16 players, comprising eight qualifiers and eight direct invites, competing for a total prize pool of $75,000. All matches follow a three-segment structure with different time controls. In the round of 16 and quarterfinals, players first compete in 5+1 games (5 minutes with a 1-second increment per move) for 45 minutes, followed by 3+1 games (3 minutes + 1-second increment) for 30 minutes, and conclude with 1+1 games (1 minute + 1-second increment) for 15 minutes. The semifinals and finals expand these segments to 75 minutes of 5+1 games, 50 minutes of 3+1 games, and 25 minutes of 1+1 games. The scoring system awards 1 point for a win and 0.5 points to each player for a draw, with the match winner being the competitor who accumulates the most points across all segments.
The Hindu
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Divya Deshmukh vs Hou Yifan live streaming info: Where to watch Women's Speed Chess Championship 2025 quarterfinals
India's teenage chess sensation Divya Deshmukh faces her toughest challenge yet as she takes on World No. 1 and three-time world champion Hou Yifan of China in the Women's Speed Chess Championship quarterfinals on Thursday. Q: How did Divya Deshmukh and Hou Yifan perform in the previous round? A: Divya stunned China's Lei Tingjie — fourth-place finisher at the 2025 Women's World Cup — with a dominant 10-3 win in the round of 16. Hou Yifan cruised past Karina Ambartsumova 11-3 in a one-sided pre-quarterfinal. Q: When will the quarterfinal match be played? A: Thursday, August 14, 2025. Q: What time does it start in India? A: The match begins at 5:30 PM IST. Q: Where can I watch it live? A: The match will be streamed live on official YouTube channel. Q: How many players are competing in this tournament and what is the total prize money? A: The Women's Speed Chess Championship is an online single-elimination tournament featuring 16 players, comprising eight qualifiers and eight direct invites, competing for a total prize pool of $75,000. Q: What is the format for the quarterfinal? A: The match will be played across three time-control segments — 5+1 games (time control of 5 minutes with an increment of one second per move) for 45 minutes, followed by 3+1 games for 30 minutes and finally, 1+1 games for 15 minutes. Winning a game gives one point, while a draw means both players get 0.5 each. The player with the most points at the end of the final segment wins the match.
News18
5 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Divya Deshmukh Continues Winning Run, Beats Lei Tingjie At Women's Speed Chess Champs
Last Updated: Divya Deshmukh, who won the Women's World Cup, beat Chinese GM Lei Tingjie 10-3 at the Women's Speed Chess Championship to reach the quarters. Star Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh, who recently won the Women's World Cup, has continued her winning streak as she went on to beat Chinese GM Lei Tingjie at the Women's Speed Chess Championship, which is a family of annual blitz chess tournaments held and hosted by Divya thrashed Tingjie 10-3 to reach the quarters of the tournament on Monday. The teenage Divya, who became a GM herself after winning the World Cup in Georgia in July, dominated Tingjie in her opening round clash. Divya will take on three-time world champion Hou Yifan, another Chinese Grandmaster, for a place in the semis on Thursday. R Vaishali, the other Indian in the field, was eliminated after losing 6-8 to US IM Alice Lee last week. While the men's speed chess championships began in 2016, since 2019, has held the women's and junior speed chess championships as well. Chinese GM Ju Wenjun is the reigning women's speed chess champion and Indian GM D Gukesh is the reigning Junior Speed Chess Champion. The Women's Speed Chess Championship is an online single-elimination event featuring 16 players, comprising eight qualifiers and eight direct invites, competing for a total prize pool of $75,000. In the opening round and the quarters, the players play 5+1 matches (time control of 5 minutes with an increment of one second per move) for 45 minutes, followed by 3+1 matches for 30 minutes and 1+1 matches for 15 minutes. The scoring system awards 1 point for a victory and 0.5 points to each player for a draw, with the match winner being the competitor who accumulates the most points across all segments. Five years back, the Youth Speed Chess Championship and the IM not a GM Speed Chess Championship were introduced as further spin-off events. view comments First Published: 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.
