19-year-old Indian IM Divya Deshmukh has one foot within the 2025 FIDE Ladies’s World Cup Quarterfinals after scoring a formidable win over Chinese language number-two seed GM Zhu Jiner as spherical 4 started in Batumi. The remaining three Chinese language gamers—GM Lei Tingjie, GM Tan Zhongyi, and IM Music Yuxin—all scored convincing wins with the white items, whereas the opposite video games have been drawn with few clear-cut probabilities.
Sport two of spherical 4 is on Thursday, July 17, beginning at 7 a.m. ET / 13:00 CEST / 4:30 p.m. IST.
Ladies’s World Cup Spherical 4 Outcomes
It was an excellent day for White as half of the video games have been gained by the participant who moved first.
| Fed | Participant | Rtg | – | Fed | Participant | Rtg | G1 | G2 | TB |
| GM Lei Tingjie | 2552 | – | WIM Umida Omonova | 2211 | 1-0 | . | . | ||
| GM Mariya Muzychuk | 2492 | – | GM Nana Dzagnidze | 2505 | ½-½ | . | . | ||
| GM Alexandra Kosteniuk | 2474 | – | GM Humpy Koneru | 2543 | ½-½ | . | . | ||
| IM Music Yuxin | 2410 | – | IM Lela Javakhishvili | 2432 | 1-0 | . | . | ||
| GM Vaishali Rameshbabu | 2481 | – | IM Meruert Kamalidenova | 2330 | ½-½ | . | . | ||
| GM Tan Zhongyi | 2546 | – | IM Yuliia Osmak | 2468 | 1-0 | . | . | ||
| GM Kateryna Lagno | 2515 | – | GM Harika Dronavalli | 2483 | ½-½ | . | . | ||
| IM Divya Deshmukh | 2463 | – | GM Zhu Jiner | 2547 | 1-0 | . | . |
Divya Deshmukh Performs In opposition to Items To Beat Zhu Jiner
Divya confessed she was shocked that her rating in opposition to Zhu was “simply” 5-1 within the Chinese language star’s favor, with a 3-0 classical rating together with Zhu successful two video games on this yr’s FIDE Grand Prix sequence. Divya mentioned “some kind of psychological block” prevented her getting ready for his or her sport in Batumi, nevertheless it did not get in the way in which of taking part in the sport: “I simply tried to suppose that I’m taking part in in opposition to the items… and as soon as the sport started it didn’t matter who I used to be taking part in in opposition to.”
I simply tried to suppose that I am taking part in in opposition to the items!
—Divya Deshmukh
It additionally helped that the opening went properly for Divya, and he or she went on to win a superb sport that is our Sport of the Day, analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao under.
“I believe I’m performing higher than I anticipated myself to,” mentioned Divya, however she added of the World Cup, with a sigh, “It is so lengthy, it is so lengthy!”
Chinese language Stars Lei, Tan, Music Stake Declare For Quarterfinal Spots
A troublesome day for Zhu was balanced by all the opposite Chinese language gamers getting off to a flying begin in spherical 4. Prime seed Lei was already the one participant to have gained all her video games in Batumi, and he or she stored that run going in opposition to the most important shock of the event to date, 19-year-old 81st seed IM Umida Omonova from Uzbekistan.
Lei did not suppose she was doing something particular, nonetheless, commenting, “I believe each sport appears fairly regular however I simply watch for my opponent to make a mistake.” She elaborated on her strategy in opposition to Omonova, explaining:
She tried the Nimzo and I attempted to play stable as a result of usually I believe she’s fairly tactical and my aim is simply to play some stable place and I believe the place must be equal, however then she made some positional errors.
The strategy sounds modest, however for the primary time within the occasion Omonova was made to appear like a deer within the headlights as Lei scored a crushing win. Black’s supply of an trade sac appeared like desperation, and Lei confirmed there was no must seize it instantly as she cruised to victory.
Lei is one draw away from reaching the final eight of the World Cup, although her final aim is to complete within the top-three and qualify for the 2026 FIDE Ladies’s Candidates Match. It is not all or nothing, although! We received the next dialogue:
Lei: Candidates will not be just like the aim for me as a result of I believe there are quite a lot of issues fascinating in my life.
WIM Charlize Van Zyl: Comparable to?
Lei: Now I’ve a pet!
Lei defined that she wakes up every day, asks her husband if she will be able to see the pet, and “you see the pet and also you don’t really feel any strain anymore!”
Tan, in the meantime, is a veteran of those knockout occasions, having gained the world championship title in a single in 2017. Her win over Ukrainian IM Yuliia Osmak noticed her solely dip under her beginning time on transfer 18. Quickly she had an enormous edge, nevertheless it wasn’t fairly as easy because it appeared on the floor. An inaccuracy let Osmak again into the sport, and it was solely 31…Nd7? that gave Tan a pressured path to victory.
The final win was for 19-year-old Music, who knocked out fifth seed GM Anna Muzychuk in round-three tiebreaks. She’d earned a relaxation on the remainder day, however mentioned as an alternative “I simply ready all day!”
It turned out that may work completely, as she was prepared for a uncommon Ruy Lopez line chosen by IM Lela Javakhishvili, quickly received a commanding benefit, and went on to transform completely.
That leaves the twenty eighth seed a draw away from reaching the Quarterfinals.
Heavyweight Clashes Begin With Attracts
The remaining 4 match-ups started peacefully, with the Berlin draw between skilled GMs Alexandra Kosteniuk and GM Koneru Humpy the quietest conflict.
The opposite attracts adopted a sample of White briefly getting probabilities, however seeing them vanish simply as quick. That was the case for GM Mariya Muzychuk in opposition to GM Nana Dzagnidze, whereas GM Harika Dronavalli‘s 31…h4!? labored to make a draw maybe primarily as a result of GM Kateryna Lagno was right down to her final 5 minutes.
The motion in GM Vaishali Rameshbabu‘s sport in opposition to 19-year-old 59th seed IM Meruert Kamalidenova from Kazakhstan befell earlier within the sport. Vaishali appeared to have a really promising place for a queenside assault, however a few inaccurate strikes and Kamalidenova seized the possibility to hit again and equalize, with the sport ending in a draw by repetition.
On Thursday the Damocles’ sword of elimination will as soon as once more cling over the gamers, with the 4 who misplaced their first video games needing to hit again on demand to power tiebreaks.
Methods to watch?
The 2025 FIDE Ladies’s World Cup takes place on the Grand Bellagio Resort & On line casino in Batumi, Georgia. It’s a 107-player event with a single-elimination knockout format and a classical time management of 90 minutes for the primary 40 strikes and half-hour for the remainder of the sport, plus a 30-second increment per transfer from the primary transfer. Every spherical consists of two video games on the classical time management adopted by a tiebreak in sooner time controls in case the scores are tied.
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