FIDE Women’s World Cup: Koneru Humpy clinches nail biting victory, sets up final showdown with Divya Deshmukh

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New Delhi: Koneru Humpy showcased nerves of steel as she overcame China’s Tingjie Lei in a dramatic eight-game semi-final clash at the FIDE Women’s World Cup as she booked her place in the final. It was a test of patience, grit and mental endurance as the Indian grandmaster edged past Tingjie in a match that had everything from tense draws, a comeback under pressure and clutch performances in blitz.

The victory not only confirmed Humpy’s place in the final but also set up a historic all-Indian title clash against Divya Deshmukh. For Indian chess, it’s a moment to savour as both the gold and silver medals are assured, marking the first for the country in the Women’s World Cup.

The semi-final began with two classical games where neither Humpy nor Tingjie could find a breakthrough which led to a stalemate on the scoreboard. As the tension built, the match moved into the rapid tiebreaks but even there, the players continued to cancel each other out, drawing the first two games and leaving the match delicately balanced at 2-2.

It was in the third rapid game that the momentum briefly swung in Tingjie’s favour as she capitalised on a small error by Humpy in the endgame and managed to score her first win of the match, moving ahead 3-2 and pushing Humpy to the brink of elimination.

Humpy’s resilient comeback under pressure

Humpy needed a win with the white pieces to stay alive in the contest. She rose to the occasion and played with composure and won a crucial game to level the score at 3-3, forcing the match into blitz games where every move needed to be made under immense time pressure.

In the first blitz game, Humpy took control early setting up a strong position with the white pieces. The clock was ticking down rapidly with both players having less than 30 seconds on their clocks in a complex middle-game position. Mistakes were made on both sides but Humpy’s composure saw her through, allowing her to take a crucial 4-3 lead.

Looking ahead

With just one more win needed to seal the match, Humpy delivered again and this time with the black pieces, clinching the final blitz game and wrapping up the match 5-3. The victory secured her spot in the final against Divya Deshmukh while ensuring her qualification for the Candidates Tournament.