For the first time in Indian chess, the FIDE Women’s World Cup will have a winner from India with Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh set to fight it out for the title in the final scheduled on Saturday.
It’s also for the first time in the event's history that two Indians are facing each other in the final. Both Humpy and Deshmukh have qualified for the Women’s candidates’ tournament next year after reaching the final.
Considering the experience of playing big games, Humpy goes in the final as the favourite against compatriot Deshmukh. Humpy held her nerves and came from behind to score a stunning victory in the semifinals over Tingjie Lei of China in the tiebreaker on Thursday, while Deshmukh defeated former world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the second semifinal.
Grandmaster Humpy, 38, the winner of the world women’s rapid tournament, has proved yet again that age is just a number. “It’s one of the happiest moments for chess fans because now the title will go to India for sure. But of course, as a player, tomorrow will be quite a tough game as well. Divya has played tremendously well in this tournament,” Humpy told FIDE website.
At half the age of Humpy, International Master Deshmukh has already stunned three players ranked in top 10 in the event. She first defeated second seed Jiner Zhu of China before ousting D Harika. The 19-year-old from Nagpur then beat former women’s world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the semifinals. "I just need some sleep and some food, these days have been so anxious for me. I think I could have played much better. I was winning at a certain point and then it got complicated. I think I messed up in the middle game and that I should have had a much smoother win,” Deshmukh said after entering the final.
Humpy was stretched to the tiebreaker in the pre quarterfinals by former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland and she followed it up with a clinical performance against Yuxin Song. Her best so far was reserved for the semifinals as she outclassed top seed Tingjei Lei of China in the five-minute games after the players had reached a 3-3 deadlock.
“I played a bit shaky in the rapid, but she also gave a very good fight. It could have gone either way. Initially, I played quite badly with the black pieces and she always had the advantage. After the loss in Game 3, it was a very difficult situation, but I was able to come back,” said Humpy.
Saturday's final will also be played over two classical games and if the result stands at 1-1, games of shorter duration will be played to determine the winner. Humpy has the ability to sit through long games without making mistakes. Deshmukh, on the other hand, has an attacking style.
Follow us
