The FIDE Women’s World Cup is set for a thriller, with Koneru Humpy facing Divya Deshmukh in an all-Indian final. Humpy had to stage a fight back from 2-3 down in the tie-breaks, and ended up defeating Lei Tingjie 5-3. Meanwhile, Deshmukh had a 1.5-0.5 win against Tan Zhongyi.
Gearing up for the final which is scheduled for Saturday, Humpy called it ‘one of happiest moments for chess fans’.
Also Read: All-India Affair: Koneru Humpy to meet Divya Deshmukh in FIDE Women's World Cup final
Koneru Humpy on Divya Deshmukh
Speaking to chess.com, she said, “I think it’s one of the happiest moments for the chess fans… but of course as a player tomorrow it will be quite a tough game as well. Divya has played tremendously well in this whole tournament.”
Dissecting her semi-final win, she said, “It was a very tough match and she also gave a very good fight.”
“I think initially I played quite bad with the black pieces and she always had the advantage. After the loss, it was a very difficult situation, but I was able to come back,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}“I think initially I played quite bad with the black pieces and she always had the advantage. After the loss, it was a very difficult situation, but I was able to come back,” she added.
{{/usCountry}}Humpy started off on a strong note against Tingjie, and was in a winning position earlier during the Classical round of their semi-final showdown. But then her opponent staged a comeback which saw Game 2 end in a draw. The Chinese GM was almost on the verge of victory on the following day, as she beat Humpy with white pieces in the third rapid tie-break game after the first two ended in a draw.
But Humpy had other plans, and fought back to win the fourth game in only 39 moves. Then she had the last laugh, as she claimed victories in both blitz tie-breaks to seal a 5-3 win.
Humpy and Divya have qualified for the Candidates 2026, after getting a top-three finish. The winner of the candidates will face China’s Ju Wenjun for the Women’s World C’ship title.