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FIDE Women’s World Cup Round 5 Game 2: Lei, Tan, and Humpy reach the semifinals!
Round 5 of Game 2, all four quarterfinal matches were tense and hard-fought. Two games ended with wins, and two were drawn. By the end of the day, Lei Tingjie, Tan Zhongyi, and Humpy Koneru secured their seats in the semifinals. Harika Dronavalli and Divya Deshmukh will return tomorrow to decide who takes the last spot.
International Chess Day was celebrated with joy around the world. At the Grand Bellagio, the day began with a beautiful cake prepared by the hotel’s chef. The cake was cut by Akaki Iashvili, President of the Georgian Chess Federation, along with the final eight players. It was a perfect way to honor the game we all love.
Humpy Koneru holds her ground
Song Yuxin needed a win and chose the tricky Jobava London system. Humpy was well-prepared and stayed calm. She even considered sacrificing two pawns to gain positional strength. Song tried to keep her advantage but couldn’t break through. The game balanced out, and they agreed to a draw. Humpy later shared her thoughts in an interview.
Lei Tingjie outplays Dzagnidze
Lei needed just a draw to qualify and played the solid Alapin against the Sicilian Defence. Dzagnidze made a small mistake early on, and the game turned into a closed middlegame where Lei had a slight edge. Knowing she had to win, Dzagnidze took risks that didn’t pay off.
Lei’s bishops dominated, and she slowly built up pressure. Though she missed a precise move in the endgame, it didn’t affect her win. Dzagnidze’s mistake in time pressure sealed her fate. Lei finished confidently and moved to the semifinals without needing tiebreaks.
Harika vs. Divya: a balanced fight
This was the most balanced game of the day, with an impressive 99% accuracy. Divya played the Neo-Grünfeld with Black. Harika sacrificed a pawn for dynamic play, following a line inspired by GM Ding Liren. Divya calmly returned the pawn and equalized.
In the final phase, Harika had to defend carefully, and she did so perfectly. They drew the game, and tomorrow’s tiebreaks will decide who goes to the semifinals.
Tan Zhongyi makes history again
Tan Zhongyi showed why she’s one of the best. She reached the semifinals for the third straight Women’s World Cup! Today, she defeated Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Vaishali played strongly for most of the game but missed a key defensive move after 50.Ke4. Tan took advantage and secured the win. In the semifinals, Tan will face either Harika or Divya.
Watch and follow
All games are streamed live with expert commentary on the FIDE YouTube channel. The 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup is being held in Batumi, Georgia, from July 6th to July 28th. It features 107 players from 46 federations, including many of the world’s top players. They compete for a $50,000 first prize and spots in the Candidates Tournament.
To see the full pairings and daily results, visit the Women’s World Cup website.
Photos: Anna Shtourman, Andrei Anosov, FIDE_chess
Source: FIDE CHESS NEWS
