• Source:JND
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FIDE Women World Cup 2025: IM Divya Deshmukh, created of history with her incredible run at the ongoing FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, assuring first-ever spot for an Indian player in the finale. Deshmukh, got the better of China's GM Tan Zhongyi in their second game to book a place into final.

This victory turned out to be extra sweet for the 19-year-old as she earned a 'Grandmaster' norm with a qualification in the next Women's Candidates Tournament.

It could be an all-India final if Indian GM Koneru Humpy defeats China's Lei Tingjie on Thursday. Notably, Humpy's first game against Tingjie ended in a draw as the Indian gave away her dominant position after a good start in them match. The scoreline in the first match stands at 0.5-0.5 each, as it was in the case of other semifinal game between China's Tan Zhongyi and Divya with a similar scoreline.

GM Humpy, too, became the first-ever Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the much coveted tournament. A solid draw in the second game of her quarterfinal clash against China's IM Song Yuxin was enough to seal the deal.

There were a couple of minor inaccuracies along the way, but Humpy kept things under control, playing safe and smart. Eventually, her opponent settled for a draw, which confirmed Humpy's passage into the final four.

Earlier, Koneru Humpy struck the first blow, securing the game one in the quarterfinals of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Women's World Cup at Batumi on Saturday night.

Deshmukh produced a remarkable performance to defeat compatriot GM Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals, winning both the tie-break games to advance to the semifinals.

Inputs from ANI

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