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With two wins, Divya Deshmukh secured victory in the round five tiebreaks against Harika Dronavalli and thus becomes the fourth player to reach the semifinals.
After Divya took the lead with the white pieces in the first rapid game (15+10), a draw in the second game was enough for her to progress. In the endgame with knight and bishop against two bishops, Divya twice committed the same inaccuracy in a drawn position, which would have allowed Harika to exchange a bishop and penetrate the opponent's position with her king to win the game and equalise the tiebreak.
Both players, short on time, overlooked this possibility. Harika then blundered a pawn, which did not alter the general assessment of the endgame. She later worsened the position with an unfavourable exchange that gave Divya a passed pawn, leading to defeat.
In the semifinals, India's Humpy Koneru and Divya Deshmukh will face China's Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi. The top three players will qualify for the Candidates Tournament.
Divya Deshmukh with headphones, laptop and her mother by her side, offering strong support throughout the tournament | Photo: Anna Shtourman
