Indian chess legend Koneru Humpy made an incredible comeback to defeat China’s Tingjie Lei and reach the final of the FIDE Women’s World Cup. She will now face another Indian player, Divya Deshmukh, in an exciting all-India final.
A Tough Battle in the Semifinal
Humpy and Tingjie played a total of eight intense games. The first two classical games ended in long draws, with neither player gaining an edge. This pushed the match into Rapid tie-break games.
The first two Rapid games were also drawn. In the third Rapid game, Tingjie took advantage of a mistake by Humpy and won, leading 2.5–1.5. But Humpy didn’t give up. In the fourth Rapid game, she struck back strongly and tied the score at 3–3.
Next came the Blitz games. Despite a few errors in the first Blitz game, Humpy stayed calm and defeated Tingjie to take the lead 4–3. In the final Blitz game, Humpy played with the black pieces and showed great confidence, winning again and securing a 5–3 overall victory.
Divya Deshmukh Shines
Earlier, India’s 19-year-old rising star Divya Deshmukh defeated China’s Tan Zhongyi to reach the final. With this win, Divya also achieved a Grandmaster norm and qualified for the Women’s Candidates Tournament – a big step in her chess career.
Koneru Humpy also qualified for the Candidates Tournament thanks to her semifinal win.
All-India Final Ahead
The Women’s World Cup final between Humpy and Divya will be played on July 26 and 27. If needed, tiebreaks will take place on July 28.
This is a proud moment for Indian chess, as two Indian women will compete for the prestigious title.
