Batumi (Georgia), July 21: Slowly but surely emerging as one of India’s key players, International Master Divya Deshmukh stunned higher-ranked compatriot Harika Dronavalli 2-0 in the tiebreaks to enter the semifinals of the FIDE World Women’s Chess Cup here.
After two uneventful draws in the classical games, the pressure was on Harika in the rapid tiebreaks. Divya capitalised with a determined performance to win the first game, before sealing the match in the second as Harika, in a must-win situation, overpressed in search of a miracle that never came.
While Harika has been a semifinalist on three different occasions in a similar format which was then called the world women’s championship, Humpy and now Divya have become the two Indians who made it to the semis of the women’s world cup as this is a part of the new world championship cycle. (PTI)
