 "Watch: IM Divya Deshmukh's epic reaction after upsetting Chinese GM Zhu Jiner in the pre-quarterfinals of the FIDE Women's World Cup")
On Friday, India’s Divya Deshmukh defeated Chinese GM Zhu Jiner to qualify for the FIDE Women’s World Cup quarter-finals. The 19-year-old Divya got the better of Zhu in Game 1 of the 25+10 Rapid tiebreaks and drew Game 2 to emerge victorious in the match. Deshmukh’s victory comes after a setback on Thursday, when she lost her second game with black pieces to Zhu after defeating the world No 6 from China with white pieces the day before.
Since it was a massive upset in the tournament, Divya couldn’t help but let emotions get the better of her. Her immediate reaction was captured on camera, and by the looks of it, it’s apparent that the victory was overwhelming for her, too.
🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh (2463) defeats 🇨🇳 Zhu Jiner (2533) in Round 4 of the FIDE Women’s World Cup!#FIDEWorldCup @DivyaDeshmukh05 pic.twitter.com/uDDMiRvDZM
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 18, 2025
Divya will face compatriot Harika Dronavalli in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
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Day of elation for India as all four Indians reach quarter-finals
Indian women were on a roll in the FIDE Women’s World Cup on Friday. Following Divya’s emphatic win over Zhu, veteran GM Koneru Humpy also overwhelmed her opponent, Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk, in the tiebreakers to advance to the quarter-finals.
As the day progressed, Harika Dronavalli and R Vaishali also defeated their respective opponents to make it four out of four for India. With four of the eight quarter-finalists being Indians, the probability of an Indian reaching the final and clinching the World Cup trophy is quite high.
It must be noted that the FIDE Women’s World Cup offers three spots to the FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, which is set to take place in the first half of 2026.
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