- India's Divya Deshmukh sent a massive shock in the FIDE Women's World Cup
- She defeated world No. 2 Zhu Jiner in the opening game of their pre-quarterfinal encounter
- This triumph is among the biggest shocks of the tournament to date
India's Divya Deshmukh gave one of the greatest shocks at the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 by beating world No. 2 Zhu Jiner in the first of their pre-quarterfinal match played in Batumi, Georgia on Wednesday.
Against the white pieces, the 18-year-old showed remarkable strategic skill and calmness of head against the highest seeded highly rated Chinese player who was also considered a probable title challenger. Divya waited calmly to build her lead, continued to apply relentless pressure throughout the middlegame, and profited from Zhu's errors to post a historic win.
This victory has provided Divya a 1-0 advantage in the two-match match and only a draw in Game 2 will assist her in reaching the quarterfinals. In doing so, she will be the second Indian woman to reach this stage at the 2023 Women's World Cup, following Harika Dronavalli.
In another section of the hall, India's other three pre-quarterfinalists, R. Vaishali, Koneru Humpy, and Harika Dronavalli, also saw out their first games. Vaishali, whites too, was stuck in an even game against Kazakhstan's Meruert Kamalidenova. Veterans and ex-World Championship semifinalists Koneru and Harika rode it out with blacks against Switzerland's Alexandra Kosteniuk and Russia's Kateryna Lagno.
The FIDE Women's World Cup is among the most elite events of world chess. The tournament is particularly important since the top three competitors will gain qualification for the 2026 FIDE Women's Candidates Tournament, the second step to vying for the Women's World Championship.
