- Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy made it to the semifinals of the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup
- She qualified by drawing the second game against China's Yuxin Song on Sunday
- Koneru had won the first game previously, requiring only a draw in the second to qualify
Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy has created history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the coveted FIDE Women's Chess World Cup. She booked her place by holding the second game against China's Yuxin Song on Sunday, having already won the first game and requiring merely a draw to proceed.
Facing Yuxin’s aggressive Jobava London System attack, Koneru used a cool and calculated counterattack. Two pawns were sacrificed in the initial moves but were won back by Humpy with accurate play, converting an even endgame. Yuxin pushed 53 moves aggressively but was unable to breach Humpy's impenetrable defense and had to settle for a draw and a 1.5–0.5 match victory for the Indian Grandmaster.
With this achievement, Koneru has not just achieved a milestone but also been within impressive range of the Women's Candidates Tournament. A top three finish in the World Cup would see her through the elite tournament, bringing her closer to a shot for the World Championship title.
In the meantime, the all-Indian quarterfinal between Grandmaster D Harika and International Master Divya Deshmukh was drawn, both players proceeding to rapid and blitz tie-breaks to decide who goes through.
India's R Vaishali withdrew from the tournament after losing to former World Champion Tan Zhongyi. While Vaishali had a draw in the first game, she lost the second despite a favorable middlegame position crumbling under her and had to settle for a 1.5–0.5 loss. China's top seed Tingjie Lei also advanced easily with a 2–0 win against Georgia's Nana Dzagnidze. Semifinalists at present are Koneru Humpy, Tan Zhongyi, and Tingjie Lei, with a place in the final to be determined in the tie-break between Harika and Divya.
