Chess
FIDE Women’s World Cup: Harika and Vaishali progress to pre-quarterfinals
Vantika Agrawal bowed out in a close contest against Kateryna Lagno.
Harika Dronavalli in action at the 2025 Women's Grand Prix in Cyprus (Photo credit: Mark Livshitz/FIDE)
India’s Dronavalli Harika and R Vaishali battled through gruelling tie-breaks to reach the Round of 16 at the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia, joining compatriots Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh in the pre-quarterfinals. However, Vantika Agrawal's campaign ended in heartbreak after a closely contested match against Kateryna Lagno.
Vaishali displayed remarkable resilience against the USA’s Carissa Yip. With the classical games and the initial rapid tie-breaks ending in draws, Vaishali edged ahead by winning both 10+10 rapid games to seal a 4-2 overall victory. She will next face Meruert Kamalidenova of Kazakhstan, who pulled off a major upset by knocking out defending champion Aleksandra Goryachkina.
Harika mirrored Vaishali's success, overcoming Greek opponent Stavroula Tsolakidou in tie-breaks with an identical 4-2 scoreline. Her next challenge will be Lagno, who progressed at the expense of Vantika.
Vantika had raised hopes with a win in her first classical game against Lagno, but couldn't hold on. The Russian Grandmaster bounced back to level the match and eventually edged Vantika in the 10+10 rapid tie-breaker.
Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh will take on second-seeded China’s Zhu Jiner in her pre-quarterfinal clash, while Koneru Humpy is set to face Swiss GM Alexandra Kosteniuk.
Key results:
Harika Dronavalli def. Stavroula Tsolakidou (GRE): 1-1, 1-1, 2-0
R Vaishali def. Carissa Yip (USA): 1-1, 1-1, 2-0
Vantika Agrawal lost to Kateryna Lagno (FID): 1-1, 1-1, 0.5-1.5
Divya Deshmukh def. Teodora Injac (SRB): 1.5-0.5
Koneru Humpy def. Klaudia Kulon (POL): 1.5-0.5
The pre-quarterfinal stage promises intense matchups as India continues its strong showing at one of the premier events on the women's chess calendar.
