FIDE Women’s World Cup — Humpy faces Yuxin Song; India secured one semifinal berth

Grandmaster Koneru Humpy will start as the favourite in her bid to win her maiden title at the FIDE Women’s World Chess Cup when she takes on China’s Yuxin Song in the quarterfinals here.

Humpy, India’s highest-rated woman player and a winner of several major global events, advanced to the last eight along with compatriots Divya Deshmukh, D. Harika, and R. Vaishali.

This marks the first time that four players from a single country have reached the quarterfinals of the competition.

With Harika set to face Divya in an all-Indian clash, at least one Indian is assured of a spot in the semifinals.

Vaishali, meanwhile, has the toughest task as she faces former women’s world champion Tan Zhongyi of China in another quarterfinal.

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Theoretically, as many as three Indians could make it to the semifinals of this high-stakes event, which also serves as a qualifier for the next Women’s Candidates Tournament.

With the top three finishers qualifying for the Candidates, all eyes will be on Humpy, who has returned to form in this event.

Her victory over Switzerland’s former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk in the tiebreaker last round underscored that even at 38, she remains a formidable force.

Harika, India’s second woman Grandmaster, is a seasoned campaigner, having reached the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup twice before.

Her solid playing style and steely nerves will be tested against Divya, who has emerged as the giant-killer of the event after eliminating second seed Zhu Jiner of China in the previous round’s tiebreaker.