Koneru Humpy braces for 'tough' all-Indian FIDE Women's World Cup final: 'Divya has played tremendously well...'

Koneru Humpy fought back from 2-3 down in the tie-breaks against Lei Tingjie to defeat the Chinese top-seed 5-3 and advance to the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia on Thursday. Veteran Grandmaster Humpy, in the process, set up a dream all-Indian final against International Master Divya Deshmukh, who had triumphed in the other Sino-Indian semi-final with a 1.5-0.5 victory over Tan Zhongyi on Wednesday.

Humpy had found herself in a winning position earlier during the Classical round of the semi-final, and could have clinched victory on Wednesday itself but for a late fightback from GM Lei that resulted in Game 2 ending in a draw.

Lei would then find herself on the verge of victory on the following day, defeating Humpy with white pieces in the third rapid tie-break game (10+10) on Thursday after the first two – with time controls of 15+10 –  ended in a draw.

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The 38-year-old Indian GM, however, bounced back in style to clinch the must-win fourth game in just 39 moves and keep her hopes of reaching the final alive. There was no looking back for the reigning women's rapid world champion thereafter she would go win both blitz tie-breaks (5+3) to complete a 5-3 victory over the 2022 Women's Candidates winner.

Humpy vs Divya to decide the World Cup champion

Humpy set her sights on the mouth-watering showdown against Divya after beating Lei, and described the all-Indian final as "one of the happiest moments for chess fans".

"I think it's one of the happiest moments for the chess fans... but of course as a player tomorrow it will be quite a tough game as well. Divya has played tremendously well in this whole tournament," Humpy was quoted by Chess.com as saying after her victory over Lei.

Also Read | Divya Deshmukh finally establishes herself among chess' elite with historic run to Women's World Cup final

Humpy, however, wasn't entirely impressed with her performance against Lei, adding that she struggled with black pieces against her highly-rated opponent.

"It was a very tough match and she also gave a very good fight.

"I think initially I played quite bad with the black pieces and she always had the advantage. After the loss, it was a very difficult situation, but I was able to come back," she added.

Besides entering the World Cup final, Humpy and Divya have also qualified for the Women's Candidates next year by virtue of being guaranteed a top-three finish in the ongoing tournament.

That's at least two Indians battling it out to earn the right to challenge China's Ju Wenjun for the FIDE Women's World Championship.

The final gets underway on Saturday and could extend till Monday, 28 July, if the contest goes into the tie-breaks. The all-Chinese third-place playoff between Lei and Tan will be taking place around the same time, with the winner joining the two Indians at the Candidates.