FIDE Women's World Cup

A knockout tournament for the world's leading women players, with places in the Women's Candidates at stake.

Divya Deshmukh, champion 2025. Photo: Frans Peeters, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Founded: 2021
Held: Every two years
Where: Varies
Format: Knockout of just over 100 players; from 2027, Swiss qualifying pools followed by a knockout
Champion: Divya Deshmukh (2025)

History

The Women’s World Cup was launched in 2021 as the women’s counterpart to the open World Cup, and qualifies its top finishers for the Women’s Candidates.

It has already produced a surprise winner: in 2025, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh won in Batumi, beating Koneru Humpy in the final and earning the grandmaster title along the way.

FIDE Women's World Cup in The Chess Herald

Oct 22, 2026Li, 16, Takes Women's Title as So Stumbles, Caruana Forces Playoff
Oct 18, 2026Uzbekistan Tops the Olympiad Route to the 2027 World Cup
Oct 3, 2026How a Player Earns a Shot at the World Chess Title
Sep 2, 2026The Business Case for GCL Season 4: Why Bengaluru, Twice, Makes Financial Sense

Winners

Year	Winner
2025	Divya Deshmukh · beat Koneru Humpy in the final; held in Batumi
2023	Aleksandra Goryachkina · Baku
2021	Alexandra Kosteniuk · Sochi

Source: Wikipedia.

Page last reviewed September 29, 2026.