Women's World Cup: Humpy, Harika, Vaishali and Divya win tiebreakers

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
7/19/2025 – All four round-four tiebreak matches at the Women's World Cup were won by Indian players, completing the lineup for the quarterfinals. Humpy Koneru and Divya Deshmukh advanced with wins in the 15+10 games, while Harika Dronavalli and Vaishali Rameshbabu needed additional rounds to progress. The quarterfinals will feature four Indian players alongside Lei Tingjie, Tan Zhongyi, Nana Dzagnidze and Song Yuxin. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE
Your personal chess trainer. Your toughest opponent. Your strongest ally.
FRITZ 20 is more than just a chess engine – it is a training revolution for ambitious players and professionals. Whether you are taking your first steps into the world of serious chess training, or already playing at tournament level, FRITZ 20 will help you train more efficiently, intelligently and individually than ever before. 

All four Indian players prevail

Find here the full tournament tree

All four tiebreak matches in round four of the Women's World Cup were won by Indian players, completing the quarterfinal line-up in Batumi. Humpy Koneru, Divya Deshmukh, Harika Dronavalli and Vaishali Rameshbabu advanced after a series of intense games, ranging from 15-minute rapid to blitz encounters. As a result, Indian players now make up half of the final eight heading into the tournament's decisive stages.

Humpy Koneru and Divya Deshmukh were the first to qualify, both securing 1½-½ victories in the 15+10 rapid games. Humpy defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk, remaining undefeated across both classical and rapid portions of the match. Divya, meanwhile, delivered an impressive win over second seed Zhu Jiner, rebounding from a loss in the second classical game with a strong performance in faster time controls.

Harika Dronavalli was next to qualify, prevailing over Kateryna Lagno in the 10-minute rapid games. Their encounter extended deep into the tiebreak phases, with Harika eventually winning the match 3½-2½. The final match of the day saw Vaishali Rameshbabu eliminate Meruert Kamalidenova, one of the standout performers of the tournament. After splitting the rapid games and ten-minute rounds, the match was only decided in the blitz phase, with Vaishali edging the Kazakh player 4½-3½.

With these results, the quarterfinal pairings are now confirmed: Lei Tingjie will face Nana Dzagnidze, Humpy Koneru will play Song Yuxin, Harika Dronavalli is set to meet Divya Deshmukh, and Tan Zhongyi will take on Vaishali Rameshbabu. The strong presence of Indian players highlights a new chapter in the country's rising prominence in women's chess at the highest level.

Harika Dronavalli, Kateryna Lagno

Harika Dronavalli facing Kateryna Lagno | Photo: Anna Shtourman

Vaishali Rameshbabu, Meruert Kamalidenova

Vaishali Rameshbabu defeated Meruert Kamalidenova in a lengthy tiebreaker to reach the quarterfinals | Photo: Anna Shtourman

Humpy Koneru

Humpy Koneru | Photo: Anna Shtourman

Zhu 0-1 Divya

Analysis by GM Karsten Müller

Zhu Jiner, Divya Deshmukh

Zhu Jiner facing Divya Deshmukh | Photo: Anna Shtourman

All games

Links

Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.