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

India’s highest-rated woman player and a winner of several major global events, Humpy advanced to the last eight along with compatriots Divya Deshmukh, D Harika, and R Vaishali. This is the first time that four players from a single country have reached the quarterfinals of the competition. With D Harika pitted against Divya Deshmukh in an all-Indian clash, at least one Indian is assured of a spot in the semifinals.

R Vaishali has the most formidable task ahead as she faces former women’s world champion Tan Zhongyi of China in another quarterfinal faceoff. Three of the four Indians could make it to the semifinals of this prestigious event, which also serves as a qualifier for the upcoming Women’s Candidates Tournament.

With the top three finishers qualifying for the Candidates, the focus 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 amply demonstrated that even at 38, she remains a formidable force.

D Harika, India’s second woman Grandmaster, is also a seasoned campaigner, having reached the semifinals of the Women’s World Cup on two occasions. Her solid playing style and steely nerves will be tested against Divya, who has emerged as the giant-killer after eliminating second seed Zhu Jiner of China in the tiebreaker in the previous round. R Vaishali, winner of the last Women’s Grand Swiss and a Candidates qualifier in 2024, faces an important match against Tan Zhongyi. The other quarterfinal will witness a clash between China’s Tingjie Lei and Georgia’s Nana Dzagnidze.

Quarterfinal line-ups: Koneru Humpy (Ind) vs Yuxin Song (Chn); Tingjie Lei (Chn) vs R Vaishali (Ind) vs Tan Zhongyi (Chn); Tingjie Lei (Chn) vs Nana Dzagnidze (Geo); D Harika (Ind) vs Divya Deshmukh (Ind).