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The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Divya Deshmukh springs another surprise stunning Harika to be in semis
Slowly but surely emerging as one of India's key players, International Master Divya Deshmukh stunned higher-ranked compatriot Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in the tiebreaks to enter the semifinals of the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup here. After two uneventful draws in the classical games, the pressure was on Harika in the rapid tiebreaks. Divya capitalised with a determined performance to win the first game, before sealing the match in the second as Harika, in a must-win situation, overpressed in search of a miracle that never came. While Harika has been a semifinalist on three different occasions in a similar format which was then called the world women's championship, Humpy and now Divya have become the two Indians who made it to the semis of the women's world cup as this is a part of the new world championship cycle. This also means that one Indian entry is assured in the Women's Candidates Tournament slated sometime next year, which will decide who will contest the world championship match against incumbent Ju Wenjun of China. Highest-ranked Indian for over a decade, Koneru Humpy is already in the last four for the first time in her career, and this is one title that has eluded her all these years. With Divya Deshmukh joining her as the other semi-finalist, it shows a paradigm shift in Indian women's chess too, where the boys have largely been making hay. Divya employed the Italian Opening in the first game and gave nothing away. Harika was outdone in the middlegame while trying to find some serious counterplay but ended up miscalculating, which cost her the queen for two white pieces. The rest was easy for Divya, who has now established herself as a force to reckon with in women's chess. In the return game, Harika had to win, but again Divya was up to the task in defence. It is well known that Harika adores her chances in faster versions, but against Divya she did not get many. It was a picturesque finish in the end that closed the doors for Harika. In the semifinals, Humpy will meet top seed Lei Tingjie of China, while Divya will face former women's world champion Tan Zhongyi, also of China.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
Divya Deshmukh springs another surprise to be in semis
Slowly but surely emerging as one of India's key players, International Master Divya Deshmukh stunned higher-ranked compatriot Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in the tiebreaks to enter the semifinals of the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup here. After two uneventful draws in the classical games, the pressure was on Harika in the rapid tiebreaks. Divya capitalised with a determined performance to win the first game, before sealing the match in the second as Harika, in a must-win situation, overpressed in search of a miracle that never came. While Harika has been a semifinalist on three different occasions in a similar format which was then called the world women's championship, Humpy and now Divya have become the two Indians who made it to the semis of the women's world cup as this is a part of the new world championship cycle. This also means that one Indian entry is assured in the Women's Candidates Tournament slated sometime next year, which will decide who will contest the world championship match against incumbent Ju Wenjun of China. Highest-ranked Indian for over a decade, Koneru Humpy is already in the last four for the first time in her career, and this is one title that has eluded her all these years. With Divya Deshmukh joining her as the other semi-finalist, it shows a paradigm shift in Indian women's chess too, where the boys have largely been making hay. Divya employed the Italian Opening in the first game and gave nothing away. Harika was outdone in the middlegame while trying to find some serious counterplay but ended up miscalculating, which cost her the queen for two white pieces. The rest was easy for Divya, who has now established herself as a force to reckon with in women's chess. In the return game, Harika had to win, but again Divya was up to the task in defence. It is well known that Harika adores her chances in faster versions, but against Divya she did not get many. It was a picturesque finish in the end that closed the doors for Harika. In the semifinals, Humpy will meet top seed Lei Tingjie of China, while Divya will face former women's world champion Tan Zhongyi, also of China.
News18
2 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Divya Deshmukh springs another surprise to be in semis
Batumi (Georgia), Jul 21 (PTI) Slowly but surely emerging as one of India's key players, International Master Divya Deshmukh stunned higher-ranked compatriot Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in the tiebreaks to enter the semifinals of the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup here. After two uneventful draws in the classical games, the pressure was on Harika in the rapid tiebreaks. Divya capitalised with a determined performance to win the first game, before sealing the match in the second as Harika, in a must-win situation, overpressed in search of a miracle that never came. While Harika has been a semifinalist on three different occasions in a similar format which was then called the world women's championship, Humpy and now Divya have become the two Indians who made it to the semis of the women's world cup as this is a part of the new world championship cycle. This also means that one Indian entry is assured in the Women's Candidates Tournament slated sometime next year, which will decide who will contest the world championship match against incumbent Ju Wenjun of China. Highest-ranked Indian for over a decade, Koneru Humpy is already in the last four for the first time in her career, and this is one title that has eluded her all these years. With Divya Deshmukh joining her as the other semi-finalist, it shows a paradigm shift in Indian women's chess too, where the boys have largely been making hay. Divya employed the Italian Opening in the first game and gave nothing away. Harika was outdone in the middlegame while trying to find some serious counterplay but ended up miscalculating, which cost her the queen for two white pieces. The rest was easy for Divya, who has now established herself as a force to reckon with in women's chess. In the return game, Harika had to win, but again Divya was up to the task in defence. It is well known that Harika adores her chances in faster versions, but against Divya she did not get many. It was a picturesque finish in the end that closed the doors for Harika. In the semifinals, Humpy will meet top seed Lei Tingjie of China, while Divya will face former women's world champion Tan Zhongyi, also of China. PTI Cor ATK view comments First Published: July 21, 2025, 22:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Indian Express
21-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
FIDE Women's Grand Prix: Humpy dominates, Divya resilient, Vaishali outplayed by Jiner
Written by Aryesh Chakraborty and Soham Shah Round 6 of the FIDE Women's Grand Prix 2024-25 at Amanora The Fern saw a dramatic shift in momentum as Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy scored a clinical win to stay within striking distance of the tournament leader, GM Zhu Jiner. While Humpy dazzled on board, Divya Deshmukh managed a draw against Dronavalli Harika, and Vaishali Rameshbabu suffered a tough defeat at the hands of the in form Chinese Grandmaster Zhu Jiner. Playing with the Black pieces against Munguntuul Batkhuyag, Humpy played a game with great precision. The Indian veteran took advantage of a mistake Munguntuul made early on- the queen move on the 8th turn- in the Italian Opening. Humpy's knight's move on the 15th turn put her opponent in a tough place. She then launched a strong attack through the center and towards the king-side. Humpy gave up both her rooks to win a queen and a pawn, which gave her a clear advantage which turned the game in her favor. With Munguntuul under severe time pressure- needing to make 21 moves in just 8 minutes- Humpy wrapped up the game in 33 moves, making an unstoppable checkmate. 'After the knight move on the 15th turn, White is positionally lost,' said Humpy post-match. The win takes her to 4.5 points, just half a point behind the leader Zhu Jiner. Young Divya Deshmukh held fellow Indian GM Dronavalli Harika to a draw in a quiet English Opening. The game saw minimal exchanges and no real flash as both players agreed to a threefold repetition after 27 moves. With this result, Divya remains in a strong position with 4 points, while Harika trails down with 3. Vaishali Rameshbabu, The third Indian in action, faced a tough challenge with Zhu Jiner, who entered the round as the tournament leader. Vaishali's Sicilian Defence held strong for much of the game until a wrong knight move on move 26 opened for Jiner to mount a decisive attack. Jiner's queen and knight coordination proved too strong, ending the game in 41 moves. As it stands Vaishali at 2.5 points, while Jiner maintains her sole lead with 5. With just three rounds remaining in this 10-player round-robin event, the tournament is heating up. Round 7 promises high stakes as Humpy takes on Jiner with the White pieces- a potential title-deciding clash. Divya will face Munguntuul, also with White, looking to down on her opponent's poor form and push closer to the top. As the Current Indian Standings after Round 6 stands -GM Koneru Humpy with 4.5 points, IM Divya Deshmukh with 4 points , GM Dronavalli Harika with 3 points followed by GM Vaishali Rameshbabu carrying 2.5 points. All eyes now turn to the key Round 7 encounters tomorrow.
