India's Divya Deshmukh to feature in Open section at FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 in September

Indian Express

2 days ago

India's teenage chess sensation, Divya Deshmukh, will feature in the Open section of the forthcoming FIDE Grand Swiss 2025 event in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in September.
Confirming her wildcard entry, Divya wrote on Instagram: 'So, the news I posted yesterday about was that I will be participating in the open Grand Swiss this year.'
FIDE confirmed that, in addition to Divya, Russia's Aleksandra Goryachkina will also compete in the Open category. 'Both Deshmukh and Aleksandra Goryachkina, who have already qualified for the FIDE Women's Candidates, chose to request wild cards for the FIDE Grand Swiss Open rather than compete in the FIDE Women's Grand Swiss,' read a FIDE post on social media.
After making headlines with her historic Women's World Cup triumph over compatriot Koneru Humpy to become a Grandmaster, Divya was in action during the Women's Speed Chess Championships this week. Taking on world no. 1 Hou Yifan in the quarter-finals, Divya went down after a stiff battle against the seasoned Chinese GM, losing out in the final tie-breaks after scores stood level at 9.5-9.5.
ALSO READ | In speed chess, Divya Deshmukh shows promise after pushing World No.1 Hou Yifan to the limit
Moving on to the Open category at the fourth edition of the FIDE Grand Swiss event, Divya will be up against a stacked field led by fellow Indians Arjun Erigaisi and world champion D Gukesh, who are seeded as the top two. 19-year-old R Pragnnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin are the other Indians among the top 20 seeds in the Open category.
International Master and leading chess pundit Tania Sachdev recently urged more women chess players to take up the Open category field to enhance their skills.
'I feel like young girls should play in as many open tournaments as possible. They should train and compete against men and not focus only on women-only tournaments,' Sachdev recently told reporters during the Chennai Grand Masters 2025.
'But I also feel that there is no need to take away women's titles. Because, for many players, that is an aspiration, encouraging young girls to take up the sport. [Doing that] will take away an entire generation of chess players,' added Sachdev.