India’s Grandmaster Koneru Humpy pulled off a thrilling win over China’s Tingjie Lei in a dramatic tie-breaker to book her place in the final of the Women’s World Cup, where she will face fellow Indian star Divya Deshmukh. The final will begin on Saturday, after a day’s rest.
With this win, Humpy also secured her spot in next year’s Women’s Candidates Tournament, becoming the second Indian to qualify, after Divya.
The semi-final clash between Humpy and Lei was tense and closely fought. The two classical games ended in draws, and even the first round of tie-breakers, two rapid games of 15 minutes each, also ended 1-1.
In the second set of tie-breaks, which had two games with 10 minutes each, Lei struck first. Humpy made an error in the middle game, losing a pawn and slipping into a tough endgame. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t hold on as Lei pressed with an advantage on both flanks, eventually claiming the win.
In the very next game, she bounced back brilliantly. Starting with a Queen's pawn opening, Humpy controlled the board from the very beginning. With calm, precise moves and steely determination, she completely outplayed Lei to level the score again.
Then came the final set of tie-break games, with faster time controls. Humpy had the white pieces in the first game and was in total command. She crushed Lei in every aspect of the game, showcasing her superior technique and experience.
With one win already in hand, Humpy needed just a draw in the return game to seal her place in the final. But instead of playing it safe, she delivered another brilliant performance. Playing the Italian Opening, she dominated again — this time finishing with a win, not just a draw.
Though the World Cup and the World Championship title have remained elusive for her so far, Humpy has won almost everything else in the world of chess. This final offers her another golden chance to add one of the few missing pieces to her incredible career.