Divya Deshmukh creates historical past, storms into FIDE Girls’s World Cup remaining
India’s teenage chess sensation Divya Deshmukh continued her dream run on the FIDE Girls’s World Cup 2025 as she knocked out the previous World Champion China’s Tan Zhongyi on Wednesday, July 23 to succeed in the ultimate. With the win, Deshmukh turned the primary Indian to succeed in the summit conflict within the elite event.
The 19-year-old shocked the World No.4 to document the most important win of her profession and attain the ultimate. She defeated Zhongyi within the second leg of their semi-final by white items to to win the tie 1.5-0.5 after drawing the primary leg with black items.
Deshmukh utilized a wild Alapin Sicilian Defence sport to show the tide her in a sport that ebbed and flowed each methods.
Deshmukh’s magical run to this point
The 19-year-old has proven super kind within the ongoing event. She had defeated second seed China‘s Zhu Jiner within the fourth spherical, earlier than knocking out compatriot Harika Dronavalli within the quarterfinals. Harika had pushed the quarterfinal conflict into tie-breaks after enjoying two attracts within the Classical leg.
Nonetheless, Deshmukh was too good for Harika ultimately.
Deshmukh will tackle the winner of the second semifinal performed between prime seed China’s Lei Tingjie and India No. 1 Koneru Humpy. The 19-year-old’s end result on Wednesday signifies that India may have two spots on the prestigious Candidate event.
Even when Humpy could make it to the ultimate of the event, then she may even be assured of a spot within the Candidate event. Even when she loses the ultimate, the India No.1 will get one other shot to seal her spot within the World Championship challenger event.
The FIDE Girls’s World Cup is a crucial occasion within the World Championship cycle because it gives three qualifying spots for the Candidates. The Girls’s Grand Prix Sequence 2024-25 and the Grand Swiss will present two spots every, whereas the final is reserved for the highest-placed participant within the FIDE Girls’s Occasions 2025-26 sequence. Whoever wins the Candidates, could have the prospect to problem for the World Champion.
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