Humpy sets up all-Indian final in World Cup chess

Koneru Humpy defeated China’s Lei Tingjie in a tense semifinal to set up an all-Indian final with Divya Deshmukh at the FIDE Women’s World Cup, assuring India of its first title

Hyderabad: Two-time world rapid chess champion Koneru Humpy of India outclassed China’s Lei Tingjie in the semifinal of the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, on Thursday.

Humpy’s win sets up an all-Indian final, with Divya Deshmukh having entered the summit clash on Wednesday after bettering China’s Tan Zhongyi in a topsy-turvy semifinal.

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The day began in sedate fashion, with Humpy and Tingjie drawing both their 10+10 rapid games.

But action erupted after the Chinese GM opened the second tiebreak (5+3 format) with a win using the white pieces. Forced into a must-win situation, Humpy levelled the tie in the second game to force a thrilling blitz showdown.

In the 3+2 blitz round opener, Humpy capitalised on a critical error from Tingjie on the 44th move to go a queen up and clinch a momentum-seizing win with the white pieces.

In the second blitz game, Humpy held her nerve to secure India’s first-ever Women’s World Cup title.

The win also secured her a place at the Candidates tournament, scheduled for early next year.

The World Cup final will be played on July 26 and 27, with tiebreaks, if needed, on July 28.