In an intense and closely fought all-Indian final of the FIDE Women’s World Cup, Grandmaster Koneru Humpy and International Master Divya Deshmukh remain evenly matched. After playing two Classical games over the weekend, both players are still level. The championship will now be decided through tie-break games on Monday.
Divya Deshmukh nearly took the lead in Saturday’s opening game. Although her experienced opponent made several errors, Divya couldn’t take full advantage. She allowed Humpy to push the match to a 41-move draw.
The 19-year-old from Nagpur played with an attacking mindset again in the second game. But Humpy countered every move effectively, at times even putting Divya on the defensive. Once again, the game ended without a winner.
After Sunday’s second game, Divya admitted to FIDE that the draw in Game 1 had hit her hard emotionally. She said that although the match ended in a draw, “it kind of felt like a loss” because she saw the winning possibilities but “always ended up making the wrong choice.” She described the first game as a major disappointment.
Discussing her performance in Game 2, Divya acknowledged that she complicated things unnecessarily. She revealed, “I got myself into a mess for no reason.” She explained that while looking for a win, she missed an important move—Qb8 on move 26—which could have helped her hold a draw more easily. She stated that “it should have been an easy draw,” but the match ended in just 34 moves with a three-fold repetition.
Now, both players must shift focus to Monday’s tie-break rounds, which will include rapid and blitz games. The pressure is intense—especially for Divya—since Humpy is a two-time rapid world champion. That experience makes her a formidable opponent in faster formats.
Despite the setbacks, Divya is trying to stay mentally strong. She shared her coping strategy, saying, “I just tell myself that I have the rest of my life to be sad about it, so don’t be sad today and we can be sad about it afterwards.”
So far, the final has delivered high drama and top-level chess. Both players have shown great skill, and now all eyes are on the tie-breaks. Whether Humpy’s experience prevails or Divya’s energy leads her to victory, chess fans are in for a thrilling finish.
