History will be made on Saturday, 26 July, as the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 final features an all-Indian clash between Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh. This is the first time two Indian players will compete against each other in the final of the prestigious tournament. This is a testimony of India’s growing power in Chess World as Recently D Gukesh became the youngest World Champion defeating Ding Liren. After a rest day on Friday, the title match will begin with two Classical games on 26 and 27 July. If the score remains tied, tiebreaks will take place on Monday, 28 July.
Divya Deshmukh booked her spot in the final with a strong showing in the semifinals, defeating former world champion Zhongyi Tan of China in the second game.
Koneru Humpy reached the final after a tense battle with China’s Tingjie Lei. The two players ended the standard games level at 3-3, but Humpy dominated the blitz rounds to secure the win. Earlier in the tournament, Humpy had close encounters with Alexandra Kosteniuk and Yuxin Song before pulling off a remarkable performance against top seed Lei. With years of experience and consistent form, Humpy enters as the favourite. However, 19-year-old Divya has already proven her ability to beat top opponents and will aim to cap her run with a memorable win.
A day of immense pride for Bharat!
Two of our nation’s finest, @DivyaDeshmukh05 and @humpy_koneru, will face each other in the final of the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup today. No matter the result, India has already won.The determination and perseverance both champions have… pic.twitter.com/WOEmOOsyRI
— Amit Shah (@AmitShah) July 26, 2025
Time control for Classical games:
Each player gets 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game. A 30-second increment per move starts from the first move.
Tiebreak format:
Two rapid games: 10 minutes plus 10-second increment
If tied: Two games of 5 minutes plus 3-second increment
If still tied: Two blitz games of 3 minutes plus 2-second increment
Further 3+2 blitz games will continue until a winner is declared
Prize money:
Winner: USD 50,000 (approximately ₹43.23 lakh)
Runner-up: USD 35,000 (approximately ₹30.26 lakh)
How and when to watch in India:
There will be no TV broadcast of the final, but live streaming will be available on the FIDE YouTube channel. The match starts at 4:30 PM IST (7:00 AM Eastern Time)