Koneru Humpy qualifies for FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 final

New Delhi: Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy outsmarted China's Lei Tingjie in the tie-breaker of the FIDE Women’s World Cup semifinal in Batumi, Georgia, on Thursday. It was a chaotic game for Humpy since she levelled with Lei's performance in the blitz game after she faced a setback during the second tiebreak game.Humpy will face fellow Indian chess player, Divya Deshmukh, who qualified for the FIDE Women’s World Cup after beating Tan Zhongyi in her second 10+10 rapid game.The showdown between Humpy and Tingjie kicked off with the Chinese GM's victory with the white pieces during the second tiebreak (5+3 format). Humpy had to settle the score to increase her chances, and she levelled the tie in the second game, moving ahead to a sensational blitz showdown.During the 3+2 blitz round opener, Humpy took advantage while Tingjie was trying to queen up in the 44th move. The Indian GM immediately took the lead and seized the victory with white pieces.The game continued to the second blitz game, where Humpy did not lose her advantage. Now, she is set to record her presence in the all-Indian chess Women's World Cup final for the first time.Now, Humpy and Deshmukh will face each other to claim the FIDE Women's World Cup title for the first time in history. The final will take place on 26 and 27 July, while the scheduled tie-breaker game is expected to take place on 28 July. Same as Divya Deshmukh, Humpy also got her spot in the Candidates tournament, scheduled to happen in 2026.