Bengaluru, July 21, 2025: Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy etched her name in history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the semi-finals of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup. On Sunday, she showcased a brilliant counterattacking game to hold China’s International Master Yuxin Song to a draw, securing her spot in the last four after a closely fought second game. Having won the first game with white pieces, Humpy needed only a draw to advance, a feat she achieved with skill and determination.
With a guaranteed fourth place, Humpy now has two opportunities to finish in the top three, which would earn her a spot in the next Women’s Candidates’ tournament. The top three qualifiers from this event will advance to that prestigious competition.
In an all-Indian clash, Grandmaster D Harika and IM Divya Deshmukh ended their quarterfinal match in a draw, setting the stage for a tie-break showdown scheduled for Monday. Meanwhile, Grandmaster R Vaishali faced disappointment, losing to China’s former world women’s champion Zhongyi Tan despite a promising position. Vaishali, who had drawn the first game, couldn’t overcome Tan’s strategic edge.
China’s top seed Tingjie Lei also advanced to the semifinals, defeating Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze in a 2-0 sweep. Yuxin Song, needing a win to stay in contention against Humpy, opted for the popular Jobava’s London opening. Humpy quickly equalized but sacrificed two pawns to create opportunities. She then exploited Song’s weakened pawn structure, recovering her pawns and steering the game to a balanced rook-and-pawns endgame. Song fought for 53 moves before agreeing to a draw.
Vaishali pushed for an advantage in the middlegame but fell to an unforced error, allowing Tan to take control. Despite some computer-suggested chances, Vaishali struggled to find the right moves. Harika played cautiously with white against Deshmukh, leading to another drawn rook-and-pawns endgame, making their match the only one heading to tie-breaks—ensuring two Indians in the semifinals.
Quarterfinal Results: Koneru Humpy (Ind) beat Yuxin Song (Chn) 1.5-0.5; Nana Dzagnidze (Geo) lost to Tingjie Lei (Chn) 0-2; R Vaishali (Ind) lost to Tan Zhongyi (Chn) 0.5-1.5; Divya Deshmukh (Ind) drew with D Harika (Ind) 1-1 (tiebreaker pending).
Leave a Reply