The long-anticipated clash has begun! Strategy, nerves, and preparation are about to be tested move by move. Let the mind games and magic unfold!
Divya opts for the time-tested Queen’s Gambit Declined - a rock-solid structure that prioritizes central control and piece harmony.
With this move, Humpy steers the game into Catalan territory, setting the stage to fianchetto her light-squared bishop.
Divya brings out her dark-squared bishop with purpose, delivering a check in the process. It’s a developing move that comes with tempo - gaining time while activating her pieces.
With a well-timed pawn push, Divya defends her bishop and keeps her coordination intact.
In this opening setup, Divya focuses on safeguarding her extra pawn, maintaining a material edge. But Humpy isn’t behind, she’s claiming compensation through piece activity and central control. A tense balance of solidity versus initiative.
With this well-timed pawn push, Divya reinforces her queenside structure, locking down space.
With this pawn push, Humpy directly challenges Divya’s queenside structure.
With kingside castling from both sides, the monarchs are now tucked away behind solid pawn shields. The opening phase is complete, and both players are ready to shift gears into the middlegame.
Humpy is down to just 7 minutes on the clock, while Divya still holds a full 15 minutes. It’s shaping up to be a classic battle: Humpy’s dynamic piece play versus Divya’s material edge and time advantage. Buckle up - this could go either way!
Humpy is carefully maneuvering her pieces to contain Divya’s queenside pawns, applying steady pressure. In response, Divya rallies her forces to their defense, determined to hold her ground. It’s a tense positional battle with every move carrying weight.
Humpy smoothly repositions her queen, adding extra pressure to Divya’s vulnerable a-pawn.
As the dynamic battle between material and activity unfolds, the eval bar tells the story: complete balance!
Divya's knight springs into the heart of the board, landing on a powerful central square and immediately putting pressure on Humpy’s queen.
Divya has the advantage of an extra passed pawn, but converting it won’t be easy. Humpy’s position is rock-solid, with no clear weaknesses to target. The big question: can Divya find a breakthrough, or will Humpy’s fortress hold?
Humpy opts to keep the queens on the board, sliding hers back instead of simplifying.
♟️ Humpy Pushes the h-Pawn: Locks it with Divya’s
Humpy advances her h-pawn, creating a fixed pawn structure as it locks with Divya’s. It’s a quiet move that seals the kingside tension and limits pawn breaks on that flank.
Both players are circling, fine-tuning their positions and searching for cracks. Minor improvements here and there, but so far, no clear path to break through.
Feeling the clock tick down, Humpy finally decides to rupture the position with a bold pawn break. But it backfires - the evaluation dips against her. She may be tough to crack, but has she just overreached?
Divya finds the best move at the perfect moment, placing her queen in the center and creating a powerful pin. The pressure is mounting and suddenly, the position is looking fantastic for her. Momentum is swinging Black's way!
Just when it looked like Divya was taking full control, she overlooks a chance to create another dangerous pin. It was a golden opportunity and with that miss, Humpy is back in the game. A dramatic momentum shift!
With the queens now off the board, the game transitions into a tense rook endgame.
The game has transitioned into a rook endgame, where precision is everything. With accurate play from both sides, the balance should hold - all signs point toward a draw on the horizon.
Incredible! Humpy may have just blundered in a critical moment. What looked like a routine draw could now be slipping into a loss. At this level, it’s shocking and Divya might be about to capitalize big time!
Humpy’s rook is now tied down, forced into a passive role just to block Divya’s dangerous advanced passed pawn. It’s a tough spot - defensive and restricted, while Divya holds all the momentum.
Humpy’s rook remains passive, anchored to stopping Divya’s dangerous a-pawn. With few options left, she’s now relying on her king to stay in the fight - a tough spot in a difficult endgame.
Under immense time pressure and the weight of a tense endgame, Divya slips with a costly blunder. In positions this delicate, even a single inaccuracy can flip the script and with the clock ticking, precision becomes a brutal challenge.
Just when it looked like Humpy had steadied the ship, she falters, handing the winning edge right back to Divya. In this nerve-wracking endgame, every move counts and momentum has swung yet again!
We’ve entered a highly complex rook endgame, where precision is everything. But with both players running on seconds, calculation becomes a race against the clock - one slip could decide it all!
Disaster strikes - Humpy commits a decisive blunder at the worst possible moment. In a game hanging by a thread, this slip seals her fate. There’s no coming back from this one.
Divya confidently picks up the pawn, tightening her control on the board. With a clear edge and composed play, she now sets her sights on converting this into a well-earned win.
In one of the most gripping encounters of the tournament, IM Divya Deshmukh defeated GM Koneru Humpy in Game 2 of the tiebreaks to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025. The game was a true marathon - 80 moves of relentless tension, dramatic swings, and courageous play from both sides.
From the outset, the players were evenly matched. The Catalan Opening led to a balanced middlegame, and while the position remained largely equal for much of the fight, it was anything but dull. Each player probed for weaknesses, tested each other’s nerves, and stayed resilient under crushing time pressure. As the game moved into the endgame, with only rooks and pawns left on the board, the pressure skyrocketed. Both clocks were ticking dangerously low, and the margin for error disappeared.
Humpy, ever the fighter, looked to press and find a breakthrough, but that decision backfired. Her aggressive push opened the door for Divya, who pounced with remarkable precision. Despite the ups and downs, the younger player held her nerve, converting a difficult advantage into a stunning victory. Humpy's missteps in the final moves cost her dearly, while Divya showed maturity and focus beyond her years.
It’s a heartbreaking end for Humpy, a legend of Indian chess and a fierce competitor throughout the event. But today marks the rise of a new champion. With this victory, Divya Deshmukh captures her biggest title yet and makes history for Indian chess. Her journey through the World Cup was marked by resilience, creativity, and sheer determination.
Congratulations to Divya on becoming the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup Champion! 🏆
Thank you to everyone who joined us for this thrilling tournament. Be sure to check the TakeTakeTake App to stay updated on the next big events we’ll be covering. More great chess is just around the corner! ♟️
We’re heading into Game 2 of the tiebreaks at the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, and the tension couldn’t be higher. After an 81-move thriller that ended in a hard-fought draw, IM Divya Deshmukh and GM Koneru Humpy return to the board with everything still on the line.
This game might not decide the champion - if it ends in another draw, the match will move into the next stage of tiebreaks. But a win here would bring it all to a dramatic close. One player has the chance to seize the moment and take the title without needing to go any further.
The pressure is mounting, the stakes are clear, and every move could tilt the balance. Join us for live coverage and expert commentary as the drama unfolds - the road to the crown continues now! 👑