Humpy scripts history, Harika vs Divya heads to tiebreaks at Women’s Chess World Cup

BATUMI(Georgia): Koneru Humpy created history by becoming the first-ever Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup. A solid draw in the second game of her quarterfinal clash against China’s IM Song Yuxin was enough to seal the deal, according to ESPN.

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.

In the all-Indian quarterfinal between Harika Dronavalli and young Divya Deshmukh, things remained tight. Divya, playing with the white pieces, chose the ‘Slav Defense: Modern Line’ as her opening, but Harika didn’t give her any clear chances. It turned into a long battle, with neither side able to find a breakthrough. After 60 hard-fought moves, the two agreed to a draw.

Meanwhile, Vaishali Rameshbabu’s impressive run came to an end, as she lost to the third seed Tan Zhongyi of China.

Top seed Lei Tingjie, on the other hand, continued her strong form and stormed into the semifinals with another victory over Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze. Humpy will now face Tingjie in a high-profile semifinal showdown, while Tan awaits the winner of the Harika vs Divya.

The top three finishers of the tournament will earn a spot in the Candidates later this year. One thing is now confirmed: at least one Indian woman will be in the mix for a shot at the Candidates. (ANI)