Indian chess history will be made at the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, as Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh face each other in the final on Saturday, ensuring the first-ever Indian winner of the tournament. Both players have already secured spots in the Women’s Candidates tournament next year.Humpy, 38, advanced to the final after defeating China’s Tingjie Lei in a tiebreaker during Thursday’s semifinals. Deshmukh, 19, secured her spot by beating former world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the second game of their semi-final match.This marks the first time in the event’s history that two Indians will compete against each other in the final.Humpy’s recent achievements include winning the World Women’s Rapid tournament and sharing first place at the women’s grand prix. The Grandmaster has consistently demonstrated her competitive abilities over the years.“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,” Humpy told FIDE website.International Master Deshmukh has impressed by defeating three top-ten ranked players in the tournament, including second seed Jiner Zhu of China and D Harika, before eliminating former women’s world champion Zhongyi Tan.“I just need some sleep and some food, these days have been so anxious for me,” Deshmukh said after reaching the final. “I think I could have played much better. I was winning at a certain point and then it got complicated. I think I messed up in the middlegame and that I should have had a much smoother win. She put up such a great fight at a certain point. I was just doubting if it was just a draw — I think I got lucky in the end.”Humpy’s path to the final included overcoming former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland in the pre-quarterfinals and defeating Yuxin Song. She then showcased her best performance in the semifinals against top seed Tingjei Lei.“I played a bit shaky in the rapid, but she also gave a very good fight. It could have gone either way,” Humpy commented about her semifinal match. “It was a very tough match. Initially, I played quite badly with the Black pieces and she always had the advantage. After the loss (in Game 3), it was a very difficult situation, but I was able to come back.”When is the FIDE Women’s World Cup final between Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy?The FIDE Women’s World Cup between Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy will be played over two days – Saturday (July 26) and Sunday (July 27) in classical format. If there is no winner after the two days, the match will move to Monday (July 28) as a tie-breaker.What is the format for the FIDE Women’s World Cup final?The final will be played in Classical Chess format on Saturday and Sunday. If required, it will move to Rapid format on Monday as tie-breaker.Time Control for Classical Games:– Each player has 90 minutes for the first 40 moves. – After 40 moves, an additional 30 minutes are provided for the rest of the game. – A 30-second increment will be added per move starting from move one.Tiebreaks Format:– Two Rapid games of 10 minutes each, with a 10-second increment per move. – If tied, two additional 5-minute games with a 3-second increment. – If still tied, two Blitz games of 3 minutes each, with a 2-second increment. – If necessary, the Blitz games will continue in a 3+2 format until a winner is determined.How to watch the FIDE Women’s World Cup final between Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy?The FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 final between Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy will be live streamed on FIDE’s YouTube channel.What is the prize money for the FIDE Women’s World Cup?The winner of the FIDE Women’s World Cup final will take home $50,000 (Rs 41.6 lakh), while the runner-up will receive $35,000 (Rs 29.1 lakh).
