Belgrade, July 24: The return games of the Women’s World Cup semifinals in Batumi delivered high drama on Wednesday, with one match decided and the other heading to tiebreaks. In a marathon encounter lasting 101 moves, India’s Divya Deshmukh defeated China’s Tan Zhongyi to become the first finalist of the 2025 edition – and the first Indian woman to reach a Women’s World Cup final. In the parallel match, Humpy Koneru and Lei Tingjie drew again, this time after a tense rook endgame, and will return to the board on Thursday for a tiebreak decider.After both semifinal first games had ended in draws, the two Indian players, Humpy and Divya, had the white pieces in game two. From the outset, both appeared well-prepared and determined to press for a result. The day began promisingly for both.
Humpy Koneru chose the Exchange Variation of the Slav Defence against Lei Tingjie. The plan paid off early, as Humpy won a pawn and entered a rook endgame with realistic winning chances. The position was objectively holdable for Black with precise defence, but Lei misplayed the position under time pressure, allowing Humpy to reach a technically winning setup. However, Humpy then let the advantage slip with an inaccurate pawn move, and the opportunity passed.
