Chess
FIDE Women’s World Cup: All four Indians advance to quarterfinals after tiebreaks
Humpy, Harika, Vaishali, and Divya reach the quarterfinals after intense wins in the tiebreaks, marking a historic day for Indian chess.
Harika Dronavalli in action at the 2025 Women's Grand Prix in Cyprus (Photo credit: Mark Livshitz/FIDE)
A landmark day for Indian chess unfolded in the fourth round of the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup, as all four Indian players—GM Koneru Humpy, GM Dronavalli Harika, GM Vaishali Rameshbabu, and IM Divya Deshmukh—secured their spots in the quarterfinals.
Humpy and Divya clinched qualification after the first set of rapid tiebreak games, while Harika and Vaishali triumphed in nerve-wracking extended tiebreak encounters.
Divya Deshmukh overcame China’s GM Zhu Jiner 2.5-1.5, showcasing calm under pressure and mature endgame technique. In the first game, she punished Zhu’s rare opening choice and converted a tough rook endgame.
The second saw Zhu sacrifice her queen in a bold attempt to complicate matters, but Divya neutralized all threats and sealed the draw—and the match—with poise.
World Rapid Champion Koneru Humpy outplayed former World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk 2.5-1.5. In the opening game, Humpy’s risky piece sacrifice paid off, catching Kosteniuk in time trouble.
The second game saw Humpy dominate the positionally imbalanced board, securing her spot in the last eight with clinical precision.
GM Harika Dronavalli’s clash against Kateryna Lagno was a dramatic four-game rollercoaster. After losing the first rapid game, Harika leveled the score—thanks to a missed win by Lagno—and then survived deep tactical battles in the 10+10 games. Her final victory came in an elegant bishop endgame after Lagno faltered with a queen exchange.
Vaishali Rameshbabu’s thriller against Kazakhstan’s IM Meruert Kamalidenova stretched to the blitz stage.
After two wins apiece in the rapid tiebreaks and an evenly matched blitz opener, the decisive final blitz game swung in Vaishali’s favor. Despite chances for both players, the Indian GM held her nerve, surviving a dangerous position to join her compatriots in the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinal pairings also feature an all-Indian clash between Harika and Divya; meanwhile, Humpy will take on Song Yuxin, and Vaishali will take on Tan Zhongyi.
