The Indian players have had mixed results after three rounds of the Cairns Cup. Divya Deshmukh has made a solid start, while Vaishali Rameshbabu is yet to register a win in the first three rounds of the tournament.
Divya began the tournament with an impressive victory over Vaishali in an all-Indian first-round clash. Playing with the black pieces, Divya handled the pressure well and gradually took control before Vaishali resigned on the 31st move.
However, Divya could not continue her winning run in the second round. She suffered a defeat against Alice Lee, despite putting up a strong fight in a long game. Divya then bounced back in style in Round 3, defeating former world champion Alexandra Kosteniuk with the black pieces. After three rounds, Divya has two points from three games.
Vaishali, meanwhile, drew her second-round game against Bibisara Assaubayeva after her opening-round loss to Divya. In Round 3, she again had to settle for a draw against Stavroula Tsolakidou. She now has one point from three games and will be looking for her first win in the next round.
Humpy Koneru has also had a mixed tournament so far. She drew her opening game against Tsolakidou, lost to Tan Zhongyi in Round 2 and then drew against Carissa Yip in the third round. Humpy has one point from three games.
For the Indian contingent, Divya’s victory over Kosteniuk is the biggest positive so far, while Vaishali and Humpy will be hoping to turn their draws into wins in the rounds ahead.
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