Indian vs Indian in 2025 Women’s Chess Final: Divya Deshmukh Becomes First Indian to Reach Final, Set to Face Humpy
In a monumental moment for Indian chess, Nagpur’s Divya Deshmukh has become the first Indian woman to reach the final of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup, following a sensational semifinal victory over former world champion Tan Zhongyi of China. With this achievement, she has also secured a coveted spot in the upcoming Women’s Candidates Tournament — making it a historic double milestone.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis congratulated Divya on her exceptional performance, lauding her for making India proud on the world stage.
“Master Divya Deshmukh, who has stormed into the Women’s Chess World Cup final with a brilliant semifinal victory, has made Maharashtra and India proud. Congratulations and best wishes!” said Fadnavis in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
All-Indian Final: Divya Deshmukh vs Koneru Humpy
The 2025 Women’s Chess World Cup final will be an all-Indian affair, as Divya Deshmukh will face Indian chess legend Koneru Humpy, who overcame third-seed Lei Tingjie in a thrilling semifinal.
This marks a decisive shift in the balance of power in women’s chess. For decades, China has dominated the women’s chess circuit — with six different world champions since 1991 and only nine years in that span without a reigning Chinese champion. But this year, both top Chinese seeds were ousted by Indian players.
♟ FIDE Women’s World Cup. Semifinals: Humpy Koneru clinches victory in a thrilling tiebreak!
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 24, 2025
🇮🇳 India has two players in the final of the Women’s World Cup – a first in the event’s history.
On one side is the prodigious Divya Deshmukh, just 19 years old, who stunned former… pic.twitter.com/Oi99awB7qL
A Battle of Generations
The final promises to be a fascinating battle of generations. Divya, just 19 years old, is facing Humpy, who is 38 and was rated 80 ELO points higher at the start of the tournament. But Divya’s dream run — defeating top-10 players like Zhu Jiner, Tan Zhongyi, and world No. 12 Harika Dronavalli — has catapulted her to elite status.
“It’s one of the happiest moments for our chess fans, because the title is India’s for sure,” Humpy said after her semifinal. “Divya has played tremendously well throughout the tournament.”
Dramatic Semifinals
Both semifinals featured nail-biting tension and high drama.
In her second classical game, Divya capitalized on a late blunder from Tan Zhongyi to level the match. Humpy, meanwhile, failed to convert chances in her classical rounds but made a stunning comeback during the tie-breaks. After losing the first 10-minute rapid game, Humpy needed a must-win to stay alive — and delivered a flawless performance to take the match to blitz tie-breaks. There, she won both games convincingly to seal the victory with a 5-3 scoreline.
Indian Chess’s Golden Era
Indian chess is currently experiencing an unprecedented golden era. From Gukesh Dommaraju becoming world champion to Humpy winning the Rapid World Championship, and India sweeping team gold at the Olympiad, the sport has become a new area of global dominance for the country.
The fact that two Indian women are now finalists in a World Cup — and that up to four Indians could qualify for the next Candidates Tournament — reflects this transformation. Names like R Vaishali and Harika remain strong contenders as well.
Elite performance in chess is no longer an exception for India — it’s becoming the norm.
Final Set for the Weekend
The much-anticipated final between Humpy and Divya will take place this weekend. The trophy is guaranteed to return to India — either to Maharashtra or Andhra Pradesh, the respective home states of Divya and Humpy.
Regardless of the outcome, this final is already a victory for Indian chess.
