Who is Divya Deshmukh? Indian star congratulated by PM Modi after win over world no. 1 Hou Yifan
Divya Deshmukh and PM Modi (Agency Photos)
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EW DELHI: Divya Deshmukh, one of India's brightest young chess talents, is making waves on the global stage, and now, she's caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 18-year-old rising star OF Indian chess stunned the chess world by defeating Chinese legend and World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the World Blitz Team Chess Championship held in London.
Yifan, representing the WR Chess Team, had defeated Divya in the first leg of their round-robin semifinal clash.
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But Divya, showing remarkable resilience and tactical sharpness, bounced back strongly in the second leg.
Playing with the white pieces, she capitalised on her opening advantage and managed her clock superbly, a critical skill in blitz chess, to dominate the game.
The achievement earned widespread praise, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who posted on X (formerly Twitter): "Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London.
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Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours.
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Who is Divya Deshmukh?
Born on 9 December 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, to doctor parents Jitendra and Namratha, Divya Deshmukh discovered chess at five. Initially drawn into the sport when her sister enrolled in badminton, she fell in love with the game downstairs and quickly advanced. She won the Under-7 National Championship at age seven in 2012, followed by world youth titles in the U‑10 (Durban, 2014) and U‑12 (Brazil, 2017) categories.
Divya became a Woman FIDE Master early on, and by October 2021 had earned her Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title, becoming Vidarbha's first and India's 22nd under that rating. She then secured her International Master (IM) title in 2023
Known as World Junior No. 1, Divya shone by winning the World Junior Girls' U‑20 Championship in 2024, finishing with a dominant 10/11 score.
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She also contributed to India's team gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad (2024) in Budapest and earned individual honours, achieving a performance rating over 2600 in the blitz segment of the World Team Rapid & Blitz Championship.
To date, she holds multiple medals: three golds at the Olympiad, multiple Asian and World Youth titles.
Trained under GM R.B. Ramesh at Chess Gurukul in Chennai, Divya is praised for her sharp tactical vision, unshakeable composure, and creative flair.
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