Divya Deshmukh Forces Tie-Breaker in Chess Showdown with Koneru Humpy

In a riveting chess encounter, International Master Divya Deshmukh outplayed Grandmaster Koneru Humpy, securing a draw that propelled their match to a tie-breaker. The highly-anticipated conclusion will see shorter-duration games to declare the ultimate victor.

Throughout the match, Deshmukh demonstrated remarkable skill, countering Humpy's early optical advantage with strategic knight placements. Despite a promising start with a bishop pair, Humpy faced challenges in capitalizing on this edge.

The tie-break format includes two 15-minute games with a 10-second increment per move, escalating to shorter games if needed until a winner emerges. Concurrently, China's Zhongyi Tan and Lei Tingjie are battling closely in their playoff.

(With inputs from agencies.)