Koneru Humpy & D Harika Progress to Round of 32 at FIDE Womens World Chess Cup

By: WE staff | Friday, 11 July 2025

• Uzbekistan's Afruza Khamdamova was comfortably drawn by Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy
• Harika and Koneru both made it to the FIDE Women's World Chess Cup round of 32
• Indian women players continue to put on impressive performances in the tournament

Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy cruised into the third round of the FIDE Women's World Chess Cup with a peaceful draw against Uzbekistan's Afruza Khamdamova, winning her mini-match 1.5–0.5. Humpy, playing white, was dominating throughout and chose a practical draw so as not to exhaust her for the tougher rounds to come.

Meanwhile, Indian GM D Harika too advanced to the last 32 with a comprehensive win against compatriot P V Nandhidhaa. In a do-or-die context, Nandhidhaa played wildly, but calm and composed two-time bronze medallist Harika did not let up at all and edged the game out.

R Vaishali extended the Indian winning spree by beating Canada's Ouellet Maili-Jade 2-0, and Divya Deshmukh beat Georgia's Kesaria Mgeladze with a 1.5–0.5 victory. K Priyanka, who had stunned many in the first round, drew with Klaudia Kulon of Poland for the second game in succession, leading to a tiebreaker. But there was disappointment for Vantika Agrawal, who had shocked former world champion Anna Ushenina of Ukraine in the first game but lost the second to set up a tiebreak on Friday.

Some other results from Round 2 were Lei Tingjie (China) beating Francisco Guecamburu Candela Be (Argentina) 2-0, Zhu Jiner (China) defeating Alinasab Mobina (Iran) 1.5-0.5, and Tan Zhongyi (China) beating Anastasia Kirtadze (Georgia) 2-0. Ukraine's Anna Muzychuk and Inna Gaponenko played out a 1-1 tie and will go to tiebreaks, as will Kateryna Lagno and Anastasia Avramidou.

Nana Dzagnidze of Georgia defeated Daria Charochkina 2-0, while Mariya Muzychuk and Thalia Cervantes Landeiro also played out a 1-1 tie. Padmini Rout of India tied her match with Alexandra Kosteniuk of Switzerland, going to tiebreaks, and Polina Shuvalova defeated Azerbaijan's Gulnar Mammadova 2-0.