Skip to content 
Divya Deshmukh Makes History at the FIDE Women’s World Cup
The FIDE Women’s World Cup Round 6 Game 2 brought a moment to remember. India’s rising chess star, IM Divya Deshmukh, stunned everyone by beating former Women’s World Champion, GM Tan Zhongyi of China. This win sent the 19-year-old from Nagpur to the final of the prestigious tournament.
Divya became the first Indian woman to reach the final of the FIDE Women’s World Cup. With this, she also earned a spot in the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, bringing her closer to challenging for the world title. On top of that, her performance secured her a Grandmaster norm, a big step toward becoming a GM.
After the game, Divya shared honestly:
I think I could have played much better. I was winning at a certain point and then it got complicated. I messed up in the middlegame and should have had a smoother win.
Now, all eyes are on Divya as she prepares for the final. Her calm focus and fearless style have already written her name in Indian chess history.
Humpy Koneru vs Lei Tingjie: A Fierce Battle Ends in a Draw
In the other semi-final, Indian GM Humpy Koneru faced Chinese GM Lei Tingjie. Humpy played aggressively, keeping Lei under pressure the whole game.
Lei admitted after the game:
Today’s game was very tough, and I think at some point she could have won.
The game reached a tense endgame. Humpy had a chance to win with the move 64.Rd5!, but missed it. Instead, she played 64.f5+??, allowing Lei to defend perfectly. Lei used the famous Philidor defense to hold a draw.
Lei said calmly after the game:
I’m just happy to play the tiebreaks after today’s game. If I lose, I don’t care. If I win, it will be a kind of gift.
They will play tiebreaks next to decide who joins Divya in the final.
How Divya Defeated Tan Zhongyi
Going into the game, Tan Zhongyi led their head-to-head score by 3–1. Divya surprised Tan by playing 3.c3 against the Sicilian, instead of her usual 3.d4. She spent a lot of time in the opening, showing she wasn’t fully comfortable.
At move 15, Divya played the natural 15.Qxc1, keeping her lead in development. But she missed a stronger move: 15.Qxd8+, which would have won a pawn and given her better chances.
Later, Divya faced a choice: attack or grab a pawn. She chose to win a pawn, but this gave Tan the initiative.
At move 32, Tan could have turned the game around with a brilliant idea: 32…Rg4!, followed by a queen sacrifice. This would have led to unstoppable threats against Divya’s king. With only seconds on her clock, Divya might not have survived.
But Tan missed it and played 32…Bxf3 instead. From that moment, Divya took control and slowly converted her advantage into a win.
After the game, Divya admitted:
She put up such a great fight… I was doubting if it was just a draw. I think I got lucky in the end. Now I just need some sleep and food — these days have been so anxious for me.
About the FIDE Women’s World Cup
The 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup runs from July 6th to July 28th in Batumi, Georgia. It features 107 players from 46 countries, including seventeen of the current world top twenty. They are competing for a $50,000 first prize and three spots in the Women’s Candidates Tournament.
Fans can follow the full pairings and daily results on the official website.
Photos: Anna Shtourman, FIDE_chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
