Umida omonova

FIDE Women: India's strong run at the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi took a dramatic turn on Thursday as all four Indian players in the Round of 16 were pushed into tiebreaks, setting up a high-stakes Friday in Georgia.

The biggest twist came in the match between teenage sensation Divya Deshmukh and second-seeded Chinese star Zhu Jiner. Having pulled off a stunning upset in Game 1 on Wednesday, Divya needed only a draw with the black pieces in Game 2 to secure a spot in the quarterfinals. But Zhu hit back hard, capitalising on an error in the middlegame to level the match and force tiebreaks.

Divya opted for a Scotch Opening but quickly found herself in trouble as Zhu exploited inaccuracies in the Indian’s play. Despite her best efforts, Divya couldn’t salvage the endgame and now faces a tense rapid tiebreak series to keep her World Cup dream alive.