“It could have gone either way”
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India has achieved an unprecedented milestone at the Women’s World Cup in Batumi. Following Divya Deshmukh’s victory over Tan Zhongyi in Wednesday’s classical game, Humpy Koneru completed a clean sweep for India by defeating Lei Tingjie in Thursday’s tiebreaks.
With this result, both finalists, Humpy and Divya, will represent India, marking the first time in the tournament’s history that two players from the same country contest the final. Both finalists are now also assured of a place in the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament.
Meanwhile, Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi will face each other in the third-place match, which carries the final available spot for the Candidates.
It is all about getting in the right state of mind when it comes to rapid and blitz tiebreakers | Photo: Anna Shtourman
Humpy Koneru’s semifinal against top seed Lei Tingjie was a tense and closely contested match from the outset. The two classical games ended in draws, though not without incident. In the second classical encounter, Humpy achieved a clear advantage in a rook endgame after converting a pawn majority from the Exchange Variation of the Slav Defence. Lei, under time pressure, made several inaccuracies and stood on the brink of defeat. However, Humpy misplayed the winning continuation with an imprecise pawn move, allowing her opponent to escape with a draw. As the first game had also ended peacefully, the match moved into the rapid tiebreak phase on Thursday.
The first pair of tiebreak games, played with 15 minutes plus 10-second increments, saw both players continue to struggle to seize full control. Lei had chances in the first game with white but failed to convert a promising position.
In this position with an extra pawn and bishops of opposite colours, Lei faltered by playing 38.Qxa5, when 38.Qd8 was the way to go. After the text move, Humpy replied by the strong 38…Be4 39.Qe5 Bxg2, getting counterplay.
Instead, after 38.Qd8, the best Black has is 38…g5, and after 39.Bg3, White threatens to place the bishop on e5, getting strong attacking chances against the king. The game was only agreed drawn after Black’s 70th move.
Humpy later acknowledged she was dissatisfied with her play in that phase, stating:
Initially, I played quite badly with the Black pieces and she always had the advantage.
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The second rapid game also ended in a draw, sending the match into the second tiebreak round with shorter time controls (10+10).
Preparing for the next game | Photo: Anna Shtourman
In game three, Lei took the lead with a confident performance, increasing the pressure on Humpy, who was now in a must-win situation. The fourth game saw a determined response from the Indian number one. Displaying accuracy and resolve, Humpy won the game to level the score and force a final blitz phase (5 minutes plus 3 seconds increment).
Humpy found the strongest way to end the game in her favour here – 38.Qc7 Kf7 39.fxe3 and Black resigned. The only other winning move in the position is 38.Bxe3, while 38.fxe3 fails to 38…Qe4, and Black escapes with a draw. Strong nerves helped the 38-year-old from Gudivada, India to take the match to the 5-minute tiebreakers.
The third tiebreak round was a dramatic affair, with both players clearly affected by the accumulated tension and fatigue. In the first blitz game, Humpy again had White and built up a promising position. Lei dropped the exchange but was then given a lifeline when Humpy returned the favour with a tactical oversight.
Thus, the first blitz game ended in Humpy’s favour.
Facing elimination, Lei needed a win in the final game to stay in the match, but it was Humpy who prevailed once again. Lei’s resistance collapsed under the pressure, and Humpy converted the game to win the blitz phase 2–0 and the match 5–3 overall.
As tense as it gets | Photo: Anna Shtourman
Reflecting on the match, Humpy remained modest:
I played a bit shaky in the rapid, but she also gave a very good fight. It could have gone either way.
Looking ahead to the all-Indian final against Divya Deshmukh, she added:
I think it’s one of the happiest moments for chess fans because now the title will go to India for sure. But of course, as a player, tomorrow will be quite a tough game as well – Divya has played tremendously well in this whole tournament.
After a rest day, Humpy and Divya will meet in the final to determine the Women’s World Cup champion and the allocation of the prize fund. Meanwhile, Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi will contest the third-place match, with the final ticket to the Candidates still up for grabs.
Humpy Koneru was all smiles after her victory against the tournament’s rating favourite | Photo: Anna Shtourman
