Divya Deshmukh Shocks Jiner Zhu In FIDE World Women's Chess Cup

Last Updated:July 16, 2025, 22:51 IST

Divya Deshmukh defeated second seed Jiner Zhu in the pre-quarterfinals of the FIDE World Women's Chess Cup. Koneru Humpy, D Harika, and R Vaishali drew their games.

Indian IM Divya Deshmukh (PTI)

Indian International Master Divya Deshmukh made significant progress by defeating second seed Jiner Zhu of China in the first game of the pre-quarterfinals of the FIDE World Women’s Chess Cup on Wednesday.

Divya, rejuvenated after the event’s first rest day, outplayed the much higher-ranked Zhu and now needs only a draw in the return game to reach the quarterfinals.

Zhu opted for a Sicilian defense, which was met with an original response from Divya. She gained control in the center and gradually strengthened her position.

Although Zhu is known for her resilience, her attempt to create counterplay towards the end of the first time-control proved risky, allowing Divya to convert to a superior Queen and minor piece endgame. With her Queen and knight creating havoc, Divya secured an important victory without any trouble.

What About Other Indians In The Fray?

Top-rated Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy played out a hard-fought draw with former world women’s champion Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland. Humpy’s Berlin defense provided an optical advantage to Kosteniuk, but the Indian held her ground to split the points.

D Harika played an enterprising game but settled for a draw with Kateryna Lagno, who is competing under the FIDE flag. Harika sacrificed a couple of pawns, but her Bishop pair always provided enough play for the lost material.

Another Indian contender, R Vaishali, signed the peace treaty with Meruert Kamalidenova of Kazakhstan. Vaishali did not gain much from the opening, and all minor pieces were exchanged, keeping the position level in the ensuing heavy pieces situation. The draw was a fair result.

Among other prominent players, top seed Tingjie Lei of China defeated Umida Omanova of Uzbekistan, while the remaining Chinese competitors, Zhongyi Tan and Yuxin Song, also began with victories against Yulia Osmak of Ukraine and local hopeful Lela Javakhishvili, respectively.

The event is now intriguingly poised with four Chinese and four Indians remaining. The top three finishers will secure a berth in the next Women’s Candidates’ tournament.

In each round except the finals, players compete in two games under Classical time control, and in case of a tie, shorter duration games are used to determine the winner.

Results round 4 game 1: R Vaishali (Ind) drew with Meruert Kamalidenova; Alexanndra Kosteniuk (Sui) drew with Koneru Humpy (Ind); Kateryna Lagno (Fid) drew with D Harika (Ind); Divya Deshmukh (Ind) beat Jiner Zhu (Chn); TIngjie Lei (Chn) beat Umida Omanova (Uzb); Yuxin Song (Chn) beat Lela Javakhishvili (Geo); Mariya Muzychuk (Ukr) drew with Nana Dzagnidze (Geo); Zhongyi Tan (Chn) beat Yulia Osmak (Ukr).

(With inputs from PTI)

Ritayan Basu

Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha...Read More

Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes on cricket content, ha...

Read More

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