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Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Why Koneru Humpy's emphatic run to the FIDE Women's World Cup semifinal is a splendid achievement
There could be a case made for the fact that winning the World Cup is perhaps as tough as winning a World Championship in chess. Ask Magnus Carlsen or even Viswanathan Anand, and they might agree. The ruthless knockout format, with no room for error, the exhausting length of the event, and tiebreaks in shorter time controls make it one of the most demanding competitions. Carlsen had to wait over a decade for his only World Cup gold after winning his maiden World Championship in 2013. Anand, the inaugural two-time champion (albeit in a different format that combined group stages and knockouts) in 2000 and 2002, never reached the semifinals under the current format. Armenian-American Levon Aronian stands as the lone exception — a two-time World Cup winner and considered as one of the strongest players never to claim the World Championship. Which is why India's Koneru Humpy storming into the semifinals of the ongoing FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia, with an emphatic run is a splendid achievement. After securing a decisive 1-0 lead over China's Yuxin Song on Saturday, the Indian Grandmaster comfortably drew the second-leg match, becoming the first Indian woman to reach the World Cup's final four. Her qualification also guarantees India a coveted spot in the Candidates tournament. With compatriots Divya Deshmukh and Harika Dronavalli — engaged in an all-Indian quarterfinal clash — placed in different brackets, India is assured of two semifinalists. Even in the worst-case scenario, if both lose their respective semifinals, they will face off for third place and the final Candidates spot. The FIDE Women's World Cup is the most crucial event in the World Championship cycle, offering three qualifying spots for Candidates. The Women's Grand Prix Series 2024-25 and the Grand Swiss provide two spots each, while the last is reserved for the highest-placed player in the 'FIDE Women's Events 2025-26' series. The winner of the Candidates will earn the right to challenge the reigning World Champion, in this case, China's Ju Wenjun. Humpy had complete control in the game against Yuxin right from the get-go. In the Chigorin Variation of the Queen's Pawn Game, she allowed the Chinese player to go two pawns up early on before clearing her path with sharp tactical exchanges. She began by trading minor pieces, eliminating the bishop pair before swapping off the knights. Despite Yuxin's two extra pawns, her position remained cramped, while Humpy enjoyed greater space for her active queen and a menacing rook battery. It didn't take long for Humpy to regain a pawn, then another, before simplifying into a drawn endgame by exchanging queens. With nothing left to play for, Yuxin conceded the draw via three-fold repetition. Next, Humpy faces China's Lei Tingjie, who cruised past Georgia's Nana Dzagnidze with a clinical 2-0 quarterfinal victory. Lei has been in imperious form, scoring 8.5/9 with a rating performance of over 2800. The semifinal will be a clash of titans with India's top-ranked player taking on the newly minted World No. 2, whose win on Sunday helped her dethrone the reigning World Champion Wenjun. The all-Indian quarterfinal between Divya Deshmukh and Harika Dronavalli is headed to tiebreaks after the pair played another prudent draw in their second classical game. Much like Saturday's 31-move encounter, both players avoided significant risks on Sunday, though their 60-move duel lasted nearly twice as long before ending in an agreed draw, clearly conserving energy for the decisive tiebreaks. The winner will face China's Tan Zhongyi, who eliminated India's R. Vaishali from the tournament. Playing Black in a Semi-Slav Defense against Tan Zhongyi, Vaishali never looked comfortable. The Indian had initially blitzed through her opening moves to gain a time advantage, but soon fell behind on the clock. After early exchanges, Tan's perseverance to push for a win became evident. When the position was simplified to queen, rook pair and dark-squared bishops for both players, Vaishali found herself under intense pressure as Tan's c- and e-file pawns advanced relentlessly. Though Vaishali fought valiantly until the end, her stubborn resistance ultimately crumbled against the Chinese veteran's precision. This result sets up two Indo-Chinese semifinal clashes in the World Cup with Humpy vs Lei and the winner of Divya/Harika vs Tan. Tan also added a unique record of qualifying in the semifinals in all World Cups. Earlier, in both the 2021 and 2023 editions, Tan lost her semifinal games. In 2021, she beat Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk 1.5-0.5 to eventually finish third but lost to the same opponent 0.5-1.5 in 2023 to finish just outside the podium.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
West Indies vs Australia 1st T20I Live Score Updates
West Indies vs Australia 1st T20I Live Updates: After a series of three Test matches, the West Indies vs Australia clash moves to the shortest format of the game. Australia registered a 3-0 clean sweep in the Test series and hosts Windies will be pleased with the fact that the action now moves to T20Is where they will be having a better chance to challenge the visitors. The T20I series consists of five matches with the first match taking place at Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica. (Live Scorecard) WI vs Australia 1st T20I Live Updates ! The highly anticipated five-match T20I series between West Indies and Australia is set to kick off with the first encounter at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. This series comes on the heels of Australia's dominant performance in the Test series, and the West Indies will be keen to bounce back and assert their T20 prowess in home conditions. The T20I rivalry between these two nations has been tightly contested, with the head-to-head record currently standing at 11 wins apiece in 22 matches. The West Indies have a slightly better record on home soil (6-3), including a dominant 4-1 series win in 2021. However, Australia has been in excellent T20I form recently, having lost only one of their last seven multi-game bilateral series. This series also serves as crucial preparation for both teams with an eye on the upcoming T20 World Cup. The West Indies T20I squad will be highly motivated, especially after the disappointing Test series loss. Captain Shai Hope will lead a side that features a blend of experienced campaigners and exciting new talents. West Indies recently broke a four-series losing streak in T20Is by defeating Ireland and will be aiming for consecutive series victories for the first time since August 2024. Australia, led by Mitchell Marsh, will be keen to continue their strong white-ball form. Their T20I squad for this series features a mix of established players and some promising new faces, with key Test players like Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Travis Head rested. Australia has been in superb form with the bat, logging the highest percentage of runs from boundaries among full-member sides since the start of 2024. While Australia enters the series as favorites given their recent T20I dominance and the West Indies' struggles in the longer format, the home advantage and the T20 specialists in the West Indies squad cannot be underestimated. The Sabina Park pitch promises a good contest between bat and ball. The battle between West Indies' explosive batting and Australia's well-rounded attack will be fascinating. While Australia might have a slight edge on paper, the West Indies' desire to prove a point in their preferred format could make for a compelling opening encounter.
India.com
3 hours ago
- India.com
KL Rahul Just 60 Runs Away from Historic Milestone Ahead of Fourth Test
India's veteran wicketkeeper-batter KL Rahul is in outstanding form, having scored 375 runs in the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 across three Test matches. His run tally includes two centuries and a half-century, underlining his importance in India's top order. As the team, led by Shubman Gill, gears up for the crucial fourth Test in Manchester, Rahul is just 60 runs short of reaching the 9,000-run mark in international cricket. With England leading the series 2-1 following their narrow win in the third Test, India faces the challenge of turning the tide. Rahul's contributions at the top of the order will be key. His ability to handle pressure, blunt the new ball, and combine elegant cover drives with disciplined shot selection gives India a much-needed anchor. So far, KL Rahul has featured in 218 international matches and has accumulated 8,940 runs. Across 254 innings, he averages close to 40, with 19 centuries and 58 fifties to his name. His highest individual score in international cricket is 199. Among Indian players, he currently ranks 16th in terms of total runs scored. KLASS Rahul While Rahul is often praised for his composure, technique, and wide shot range, it's notable that Test cricket hasn't been his strongest suit statistically. In 61 Test matches, he has scored 3,632 runs at an average of 35.26, which includes 10 centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score in Tests also stands at 199. In ODIs, however, Rahul has been far more consistent, amassing 3,043 runs in 85 games at an impressive average of over 49 and a strike rate of 88.17. His record includes seven centuries and 18 half-centuries. In T20 Internationals, he is India's fourth-highest run-scorer with 2,265 runs from 72 matches, averaging 37.75 with two centuries and 22 fifties. He hasn't featured in T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, where his strike rate became a talking point amid the rise of younger, more aggressive batters. Despite occasional dips in form, KL Rahul remains one of India's most reliable overseas performers in red-ball cricket. Remarkably, nine out of his ten Test centuries have come outside Asia, including seven in the challenging SENA countries ( South Africa, England, New Zealand, and Australia). He has scored one century in Australia and two in South Africa. With two more Tests left in the series, Rahul has a genuine opportunity to make this his finest red-ball campaign. His best so far was the 2016-17 home series against Australia, where he scored 393 runs in four matches at an average of 65.50, hitting six fifties with a top score of 90. During this England tour, Rahul has already faced 670 deliveries , the fourth-highest by an Indian opener in England since 1990. With two Tests still to go, he could break his own 2021 record of 735 balls faced in England. He's also in reach of surpassing Rohit Sharma's 866 balls from the same tour and Murali Vijay's record of 1,054 balls faced in 2014.
