Divya makes history, enters Women’s World Cup final

The 19-year-old wins a battle of nerves against China’s Tan and could be joined in the summit clash by Koneru Humpy

- Ashish Magotra

On a day of missed chances and massive blunders, nerves were the decider. India’s Divya Deshmukh prevailed in a roller coaster Game 2 to beat China's world No.4 Tan Zhongyi and become the first Indian to reach the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup.

As a result of the win — her third over a GM in a row, she also earned a place in the Candidates 2026 tournament, which will give her the chance to challenge for the world title, and secured her first GM norm.

Her opponent in the final of the tournament being played at Batumi, Georgia will be decided on Thursday after Koneru Humpy and China’s Lei Tingjie fought to another draw. They will now play the tiebreaker consisting of four Rapid games. If there is no clear winner after that, the match will move to Blitz games.

If Humpy qualifies for the final, she too will be assured of a Candidates spot. If she loses, she will still have a shot at making it by doing well at the Women’s Grand Prix Series 2024-25 or the Grand Swiss, which provide two spots each, while the last place goes to the highest-placed player in the FIDE Women’s Events 2025-26 series.