In Chess, India’s Divya Deshmukh beat China’s Tan Zhongyi in Game 2 of the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 semifinal to secure a spot in the final, in Batumi, Georgia yesterday. The Indian chess star outplayed her opponent with white pieces to claim a 1.5-0.5 win in the semifinal, after having drawn the first game on Tuesday.

With this win, Deshmukh also claimed a spot in the Candidates tournament set to happen in 2026, while also securing her first Grand Master norm. The 19-year-old also became the first Indian to enter the final of FIDE Women’s World Cup.

Divya will take on the winner of the second semifinal played between top seed China’s Lei Tingjie and India No. 1 Koneru Humpy. The Humpy vs Lei game moved to tiebreaks after the duo played two draws in the Classical legs.

In the other semifinal, India’s Koneru Humpy and China’s Lei Tingjie played out a second consecutive draw to head into a tiebreak which will be played today.

The FIDE Women’s World Cup is the most crucial event in the World Championship cycle, offering three qualifying spots for Candidates.