The 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup has witnessed an unprecedented surge of Indian talent, with four players reaching the quarterfinals. Grandmasters Koneru Humpy, D. Harika, R. Vaishali, and International Master Divya Deshmukh have stormed into the final eight, marking the first time in the tournament's history that a single country has held 50% of the quarterfinal spots.

Divya Deshmukh, in particular, has been a standout performer. The 19-year-old International Master from Nagpur, who is the youngest of the four Indian quarterfinalists, reaffirmed her status as one of the country's most promising young chess stars by defeating China's number-two seed, GM Zhu Jiner. Deshmukh secured her maiden quarterfinal berth with this victory. In their match, Deshmukh won the first game with black and secured a draw in the second game with white, displaying composure beyond her years.

The other Indian players have also demonstrated exceptional skill and resilience. Koneru Humpy, the most experienced of the four, defeated Alexandra Kosteniuk, who now represents Switzerland. Humpy won with a 1.5-0.5 margin, showcasing her superiority over her rival. D. Harika had a more challenging path, losing the first game against Kateryna Lagno before striking back to reach the tiebreakers. Harika then won the second tiebreaker to advance to the quarterfinals. R. Vaishali secured her spot by defeating Meruert Kamalidenova of Kazakhstan after a grueling tie-break.

This historic achievement has drawn praise from the chess world, with FIDE CEO Emil Sutovsky congratulating the players on social media. The performance of the Indian players is reminiscent of the 2023 FIDE World Cup when D. Gukesh, Vidit Gujrathi, Arjun Erigaisi, and R. Praggnanandhaa reached the quarterfinals.

The stakes are high as the tournament progresses. The FIDE Women's World Cup has a total prize fund of USD 691,250, with the winner claiming USD 50,000. The top three players will also qualify for the Women's Candidates Tournament, which determines the challenger for the next Women's World Championship.

The quarterfinal matchups are set, with Humpy facing Song Yuxin, Vaishali playing against Tan Zhongyi, and an all-Indian clash between Harika and Divya. This guarantees that at least one Indian player will reach the semifinals for the first time. The remaining quarterfinal match is between Lei Tingjie and Nana Dzagnidze. With their outstanding performance, the Indian players have not only made history but have also ignited hopes of bringing the FIDE Women's World Cup title to India.