Assaubayeva to face World Cup winner in Women's Speed Chess quarterfinals
Kazakh chess player Bibisara Assaubayeva has learned her opponent for the quarterfinals of the prestigious Women's Speed Chess Championship 2026, Qazinform News Agency cites Sports.kz.
The Kazakh grandmaster will face current FIDE World Cup winner, Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh, for a place in the semifinals.
In the round of 16, Assaubayeva convincingly defeated Uzbekistan's Afruza Khamdamova, 10.5-3.5, while Deshmukh crushed American Rose Atwell, 14-1, without losing a single game.
The 20-year-old Divya Deshmukh is considered one of the strongest young chess players in the world. In 2025, she won the FIDE World Cup, became an international grandmaster, and earned a spot in the Candidates Tournament. In 2024, she also won two gold medals at the FIDE Chess Olympiad — in both the team and individual standings.
For Bibisara Assaubayeva, the upcoming match is another meeting with a fierce rival. In April, at the Candidates Tournament, she drew with Diviya Deshmukh in the final round and ultimately finished second. However, in June, Bibisara took revenge by defeating the Indian player at the Norway Chess Women 2026 tournament, securing the championship title ahead of schedule.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that Bibisara Assaubayeva had risen to fifth place in the updated FIDE world rankings.
