All 4 2025 FIDE Ladies’s World Cup round-four tiebreaks have been gained by Indian gamers. GMs Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy have been the primary to e book Quarterfinals spots, defeating GMs Zhu Jiner and Alexandra Kosteniuk respectively 1.5-0.5 within the 15-minute video games. GM Harika Dronavalli then beat GM Kateryna Lagno in 10-minute video games, earlier than GM Vaishali Rameshbabu accomplished a day of untamed swings by lastly overcoming IM Meruert Kamalidenova in five-minute chess.
Sport one of many Quarterfinals is on Saturday, July 19, beginning at 7 a.m. ET / 13:00 CEST / 4:30 p.m. IST.
Ladies’s World Cup Spherical 4 Outcomes
| Fed | Participant | Rtg | – | Fed | Participant | Rtg | G1 | G2 | TB |
| GM LEI TINGJIE | 2552 | – | WIM Umida Omonova | 2211 | 1-0 | ½-½ | |||
| GM Mariya Muzychuk | 2492 | – | GM NANA DZAGNIDZE | 2505 | ½-½ | 0-1 | |||
| GM Alexandra Kosteniuk | 2474 | – | GM KONERU HUMPY | 2543 | ½-½ | ½-½ | 0.5-1.5 | ||
| IM SONG YUXIN | 2410 | – | IM Lela Javakhishvili | 2432 | 1-0 | ½-½ | |||
| GM VAISHALI RAMESHBABU | 2481 | – | IM Meruert Kamalidenova | 2330 | ½-½ | ½-½ | 3.5-2.5 | ||
| GM TAN ZHONGYI | 2546 | – | IM Yuliia Osmak | 2468 | 1-0 | ½-½ | |||
| GM Kateryna Lagno | 2515 | – | GM HARIKA DRONAVALLI | 2483 | ½-½ | ½-½ | 1.5-2.5 | ||
| IM DIVYA DESHMUKH | 2463 | – | GM Zhu Jiner | 2547 | 1-0 | 0-1 | 1.5-0.5 |
Divya, Humpy Wrap Up Victory In 15-Minute Video games
Divya knocked out the number-two seed Zhu in two video games, and when requested if she’d anticipated issues to go so nicely replied:
No, however on the identical time sure, as a result of that is the outcome I wished, and after yesterday it was a bit powerful, as a result of I had a fantastic place out of the opening and I simply performed horribly. It was form of like I used to be my very own enemy, so I’m glad that I overcame that right now!
It was a day of nerve-wracking video games the place the result turned on the smallest particulars, and we noticed that within the first recreation which Divya gained in what ought to have been an equal heavy-piece endgame. A few inaccuracies, nevertheless, and it was over.
Zhu had already come again from behind as soon as within the match, however enjoying the Nimzowitsch Protection (1.e4 Nc6!?) did not work to bamboozle Divya, who was the one participant to have an ebbing and flowing benefit all through the second recreation. On the finish she was successful, however determined to take the draw she wanted to clinch a spot within the Quarterfinals.
As Divya waited for the arbiter to verify the draw, she appeared overcome with emotion.
19-year-old 🇮🇳Divya Deshmukh cannot imagine she’s by means of to the Quarterfinals of the Ladies’s World Cup! https://t.co/yrAtYH0sCO pic.twitter.com/foDPKJFXiG
— chess24 (@chess24com) July 18, 2025
The opposite participant to clinch her match within the 15-minute video games was Humpy, who owed her success to a wild first conflict.
She admitted, “I used to be utterly fortunate to win the primary recreation,” as she misplaced her method and needed to jettison a chunk. “It’s utterly successful for her, however Black simply wants to seek out essentially the most correct strikes,” stated Humpy. Kosteniuk could not, and misplaced a pawn, then ultimately a chunk, as she fell to defeat.
Within the second recreation Kosteniuk for one fleeting transfer had an opportunity for a major benefit, however when that was missed it was all about Humpy, who was simply successful towards the tip however stated she “went for all of the doable strong strikes” to safe a draw.
Harika Hits Again To Beat Lagno In 10-Minute Video games
This match, between the seventh and tenth seeds, was each bit as tight as may very well be anticipated, although it appeared as if it was going to go the favourite’s method as Lagno squeezed out a win within the first recreation.
“I can’t return with this dangerous recreation, so I simply saved combating”, stated Harika, however within the second recreation she acquired nothing out of the opening. Her event destiny gave the impression to be determined when she performed 45.Qf3? and realized too late it was a shedding transfer.
When Lagno missed the win, nevertheless, Harika noticed she had an opportunity, commenting, “That’s once I acquired confidence that O.Ok., I acquired my hope again!”
One dangerous transfer by Lagno close to the tip of the sport and Harika took the match to 10-minute video games.
The primary 10-minute recreation was an up-and-down draw, earlier than one rash queen transfer value Lagno the match within the subsequent. Harika felt each gamers have been counting on their instinct a bit of an excessive amount of: “I performed in a move and performed 32.Bd4?. In the identical method, she performed 34…d4+! and shortly, emotionally, she simply went for 35…Qc3??.”
Harika will play Divya within the Quarterfinals, guaranteeing an Indian semifinalist, whereas the ultimate Indian star to win was Vaishali.
Vaishali Overcomes Kamalidenova In Rollercoaster 5-Minute Sport
“I’m fairly relieved, it may have been both method!” stated Vaishali after successful the day’s longest conflict.
She needed to do it the exhausting method, since 19-year-old 59th seed Kamalidenova all of a sudden emerged with a totally gained place within the first recreation and made no mistake changing. Then within the second recreation the Kazakh star reached an endgame a pawn up that she solely wanted to attract. Vaishali admitted she was on the purpose of giving up hope, however in some way, and at instances with enormous assist from her opponent, she went on to win on demand!
After that escape Vaishali was on a roll and went on to win our Sport of the Day, a robust show with the black items that has been analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao beneath.
The match was removed from over, nevertheless, since Kamalidenova counterattacked in comparable fashion within the subsequent 10-minute recreation to take the conflict to blitz.
After 4 decisive video games in a row, there was lastly a kind of quiet draw, earlier than the ultimate recreation was an absolute rollercoaster. Vaishali summed up:
Particularly within the final recreation I feel I ought to be misplaced sooner or later. She had the robust knight on f4 and each of us have been on seconds and I simply saved enjoying strikes. I don’t know what occurred… It was a loopy day!
Solely a mistake on transfer 56 lastly condemned Kamalidenova to a World Cup exit.
Vaishali will now tackle GM Tan Zhongyi, Humpy faces twenty eighth seed IM Tune Yuxin, Georgian GM Nana Dzagnidze takes on Chinese language high seed GM Lei Tingjie and, as already talked about, we have now the all-Indian battle Divya vs. Harika.
Ladies’s World Cup Quarterfinal Pairings
| Fed | Seed | Participant | Rtg | – | Fed | Seed | Participant | Ranking |
| 8 | GM Nana Dzagnidze | 2505 | – | 1 | GM Lei Tingjie | 2552 | ||
| 4 | GM Koneru Humpy | 2543 | – | 28 | IM Tune Yuxin | 2410 | ||
| 11 | GM Vaishali Rameshbabu | 2481 | – | 3 | GM Tan Zhongyi | 2546 | ||
| 15 | IM Divya Deshmukh | 2463 | – | 10 | GM Harika Dronavalli | 2483 |
There is no relaxation day, with the motion starting Saturday.
How you can 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.
Earlier protection:
