Who Is Divya Deshmukh? India's Chess International Master Challenging The World
Divya Deshmukh, born on 9 December 2005, is an Indian chess player holding the titles of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and International Master (IM). She is considered one of India's most promising young talents, having won three gold medals in the Chess Olympiad and multiple gold medals at the Asian Championship, World Youth Championship, and World Junior Championship.
Hailing from Nagpur, Maharashtra, Divya was born into a Marathi family. Her parents, Jitendra and Namratha Deshmukh, are doctors. She attended Bhavans Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir for her early education and began playing chess at a young age, quickly advancing through the ranks in Indian chess.
In 2021, Divya became India's 21st Woman Grandmaster and won the 2022 Women's Indian Chess Championship. She secured an individual bronze medal at the 2022 Chess Olympiad and was instrumental in India's gold medal win at the 2020 FIDE Online Olympiad. As of December 2024, she is ranked No. 2 among Indian women chess players.
In 2023, Divya won the Asian Women's Chess Championship in Almaty and emerged victorious in the women's rapid section of the Tata Steel India Chess Tournament, defeating top players such as Harika Dronavalli and Koneru Humpy. In May 2024, she triumphed at the Sharjah Challengers, followed by a historic win at the FIDE World U20 Girls Championship in June, becoming only the fourth Indian to achieve this title. She finished with an impressive score of 10/11 after a decisive final-round win.
At the 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships in London, Divya played a key role for Hexamind Chess Club, securing silver in the rapid team event and bronze in the blitz team event. A standout moment came in the blitz semifinal, where she defeated world No. 1 Hou Yifan in a thrilling 74-move game.
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