How Divya missed out on going 1-0 up in opposition to Humpy in Sport 1 of FIDE Ladies’s World Cup Remaining

The ultimate spherical of video games within the third version of the FIDE Ladies’s World Cup bought underway in Batumi, Georgia on Saturday, with the all-Indian closing between Grandmaster Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh and the all-Chinese language third-place playoff between Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi ending in a draw.

With
all 4 gamers gathering half-a-point every, each contests will stay broad open when the second Classical sport will get underway lower than 24 hours from now. Whether or not they finish with a decisive outcome on Sunday itself or transfer into the tie-breaks on Monday, is one thing that solely time will inform.

However earlier than we flip our consideration to Sport 2, we revisit the opening duel between the 2 Indians, who’ve confirmed their place in subsequent 12 months’s Candidates Match by advantage of being assured a top-three end within the ongoing event.

Did Divya miss out on the possibility to go 1-0 up in opposition to her skilled compatriot? 

Divya and Humpy performed out a 41-move draw on Saturday with the previous enjoying with white items. It wasn’t fairly the hard-fought stalemate wherein the 2 gamers battled on in the direction of the 100-move mark, refusing to surrender till neither had any fuel left within the tank. The 2 Indians shook palms in 41 strikes, however the draw was something however odd.

The sport started with a Queen’s pawn opening, and it wasn’t lengthy earlier than Divya had each of her knights galloping out ahead, along with her kingside knight capturing Humpy’s corresponding piece in simply the fifth transfer. This was, after all, after the latter gave the white king a verify along with her dark-squared bishop, which pressured the 19-year-old IM to deliver out her different knight.

Errors, nonetheless, began to creep into Humpy’s sport inside the primary 10 strikes, beginning along with her resolution to maneuver her light-squared bishop within the seventh transfer (Bb7). In accordance with Lichess, the 38-year-old would have been higher served capturing Divya’s E-file pawn (Nxe4).

That was adopted by Humpy’s resolution to withdraw her knight shortly after capturing the aforementioned E-file pawn (Nxe4). The Lichess engine feels the veteran ought to have used this chance to advance her different knight (Nd7). Three strikes later, she dedicated an absolute blunder by shifting her king to f8 as an alternative of nearer to the queen at d8.

“The sport noticed an especially sharp battle with the sport ending in a attract 41 strikes. On transfer 7, Divya made her aggressive intentions clear by providing one other pawn, which seemed like dwelling preparation. Humpy made a sensible resolution of refraining from taking the pawn and a balanced place was reached by transfer 10 by white,” mentioned Indian GM Pravin Thipsay advised information company PTI after Sport 1.

“Nonetheless, as an alternative of growing the undeveloped Knight, Humpy retreated the centralised Knight on transfer 10, giving enormous positional benefit to Divya. Divya might have gained enormous positional benefit on the twelfth transfer by shifting a rook. Nonetheless, she selected to play for King facet assault by sacrificing a chunk as an alternative,” he added, referring to a blunder by Divya (12. Nxc4 bxc4) wherein she misplaced an enormous chunk of benefit on the eval bar with a knight sacrifice.

Regardless of failing to capitalise on Humpy’s errors, Divya refused to surrender and remained on the hunt for a victory whilst her opponent tried providing her a draw by way of repetition, with the sport later meandering in the direction of a double-rook-and-queen endgame.

Sport 1 of the Remaining between 🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh and 🇮🇳 Humpy Koneru ends in a draw! #FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/qa8y5FmoH1

— Worldwide Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 26, 2025

Nonetheless, it was Humpy’s superior time administration that allowed her to ultimately stroll away with a draw, with Divya having half-a-minute left on her clock at one level. And after her escape in Sport 1, Humpy with be aiming to provide you with a robust response in Sport 2 wherein will probably be her flip to play with white items.