The Indian chess story continues to hit unprecedented heights as the final of the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup will be a historic all-Indian affair where veteran Humpy Koneru will face teenager Divya Deshmukh, marking another red-letter day for the country.

Prior to the 2025 edition, which is currently taking place in Batumi, Georgia, no Indian women had ever even reached the semi-finals. Deshmukh broke the glass ceiling on Wednesday (July 23) by reaching the summit clash following a victory against China’s Tan Zhongyi, who was the runner-up in the 2025 Women's World Chess Championship.

Koneru made it a double delight for India with a victory over China's Lei TIngjie, the top-ranked player in the tournament.

The two Indians have also qualified for the Women's Candidates Event 2026, which will determine who faces 2025 winner Ju Wenjun in the 2026 Women's World Chess Championship.

Koneru is among the finest players in the world and finished runners-up at the 2024 candidates tournament, as well as winning the World Rapid World Championship. Deshmukh is rising up the ranks and was part of the Indian team that won last year's Chess Olympiad. The 19-year-old is the first teenager to qualify for the candidates' tournament in 34 years.

Humpy Koneru vs Divya Deshmukh - All You Need To Know

The final between the two players will be a best-of-three clash with the first game on Saturday (July 26) and the second on Sunday (July 27). If needed, a tie-break will be played on Monday (July 28).

The first and second games will see both players allowed 90 minutes for the first 40 minutes before an extra 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move.

The tie-breaks will see two-game matches of 10 minutes. If the players are still level, five minutes for each player and then two games for three minutes.