Historic day for India as Koneru Humpy faces Divya Deshmukh in women's chess World Cup final

Dubai: Saturday promises to be a landmark day for Indian chess, with two of the country's top players — Grandmaster Koneru Humpy and rising star Divya Deshmukh — set to face off in the final of the Fide Women’s World Cup. This guarantees India both the gold and silver medals, a first in the tournament’s history.

On Thursday in Georgia, Humpy clinched a dramatic semi-final victory over China’s Lei Tingjie after an intense series of tie-breaks, joining Divya — who had earlier eliminated former World Champion Tan Zhongyi — in the championship match.

The result also means both Indian players have earned spots in the prestigious Women’s Candidates Tournament, scheduled for next year.

Former World Champion Viswanathan Anand praised Humpy's grit, “The tiebreak between Humpy Koneru and Lei Tingjie became a battle of nerves, given the stakes. Humpy showed incredible resilience, bouncing back after an early loss and winning the final two games to advance. After her World Rapid title and shared first place in the Pune Grand Prix, this is a remarkable performance to add another Candidates berth.”

“Indian fans can rejoice. For the first time, two Indians will contest the final of the Women’s World Cup,” Anand added.

After drawing both classical games earlier in the week, Humpy and Lei entered rapid tiebreaks. The initial 15+10 games ended in a 1–1 deadlock, pushing the match into a faster 10+10 time control. Lei seized the first of those games, capitalising on a middlegame mistake by Humpy to win a pawn and convert it in the endgame. Despite the presence of opposite-colored bishops, Humpy couldn’t hold the draw, putting her on the brink of elimination.

Facing a must-win situation, Humpy responded with composure and precision. Playing White, she opened with a Queen’s Pawn setup, maintained control, and leveraged her positional strength to outplay Lei in the endgame, leveling the score and forcing blitz tiebreaks.

In the final blitz segment (5+3), Humpy took complete control. She won the first game convincingly with White, applying early pressure and maintaining it until the end. In the second, needing only a draw, she chose the Italian Opening and steadily built her advantage before sealing the match with another win—earning a 2–0 result in the blitz stage.

This marks Humpy’s maiden appearance in a Women’s World Cup final—one of the few accolades that had eluded her until now. A former World Rapid Champion and a consistent performer on both team and individual fronts, she now has a chance to add the World Cup to her impressive résumé.

The final, following a rest day, will be contested on Saturday — a day already etched into Indian chess history.