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Time of India
28-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Divya Deshmukh education qualifications: From Nagpur school desks to becoming India's fourth woman chess grandmaster
Divya Deshmukh, India's fourth woman chess grandmaster. After 24 gruelling days of world-class chess, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh stood atop the podium as the FIDE Women's World Cup Champion, having defeated none other than India's first woman Grandmaster, Koneru Humpy, in a nerve-wracking tiebreak final. In doing so, Divya didn't just clinch one of the most coveted titles in women's chess, she also became India's fourth woman to earn the Grandmaster title, and the first ever to win the Women's World Cup. But behind the grandmaster title and global headlines lies a quieter story of a schoolgirl from Nagpur, balancing academic excellence with a relentless pursuit of chess mastery. A doctor's daughter raised on books and boards Born on 9 December 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Divya Deshmukh grew up in a household where learning was the norm. Her parents, Dr. Jitendra and Dr. Namratha Deshmukh, both medical professionals, instilled in her the discipline that comes with a rigorous academic environment. Yet it was a chessboard, not a stethoscope, that caught young Divya's fascination. Divya began her formal schooling at Bhavans Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir, a reputed CBSE-affiliated school in Nagpur. By the age of 10, Divya was already a national-level champion, representing India in age-category events abroad. But even as her passport filled up with stamps, her school diary stayed updated with homework and class notes. Teachers and classmates remember her not just as the 'chess girl' but as a focused, curious student who never used her talent as an excuse to skip studies. She completed her Class 10 and 12 board exams with distinction, often preparing for them in hotel rooms or between chess rounds. Divya credits her school and family for never letting either side of her life feel like a burden. Higher education: Learning on her own terms Unlike many peers who jumped straight into college after Class 12, Divya made a conscious choice to focus on her chess career during its peak. However, that didn't mean abandoning academics. As of 2025, she is pursuing her higher education through distance learning, with a growing interest in sports psychology, performance science, and data analytics in chess. She's enrolled in online certifications and open university courses, choosing flexibility over convention, a route many young athletes are now beginning to explore. The making of a grandmaster Divya was awarded the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title in 2021 and soon became India's second-highest ranked woman player. Her rise was marked by wins at the Asian Women's Championship (2023), World U-20 Girls Championship (2024), and a string of top finishes in rapid and blitz formats. In 2024, she played a key role in India's team gold win at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest. 2025 became her defining year. She defeated top seeds like Zhu Jiner, Harika Dronavalli, and Tan Zhongyi on her way to the FIDE Women's World Cup final, and finally beat Koneru Humpy, her childhood idol, to claim the title. Divya Deshmukh's story is more than a record of titles, it's a case study in self-discipline, time management, and the power of balance. She has shown that you can be a top student and a world-class competitor, that education and excellence don't have to exist in separate lanes. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
India Gazette
23-06-2025
- Sport
- India Gazette
AFC Women's Asian Cup: Mongolia, first obstacle in Blue Tigresses' road to Australia
Chiang Mai [Thailand], June 23 (ANI): India's road to the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 and the FIFA Women's World Cup 2027 will officially begin on Monday when the Blue Tigresses take on Mongolia in the opening match of Group B of the Qualifiers at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium, according to the official website of AIFF. India, twice runners-up of the erstwhile Asian Women's Championship in the 1980s, are aiming to make it to the continent's top women's competition for the 10th time and the first via the qualifiers' route. After Mongolia, India will take on Timor Leste on June 29, Iraq on July 2, and hosts Thailand on July 5 in Chiang Mai. Only the group winners will qualify for the 12-team AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026, which will serve as the qualifier for Asian teams for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027. At the pre-tournament press conference, India coach Crispin Chettri said, 'First of all, I would like to thank the Football Association of Thailand for hosting us here. We arrived here earlier this week, and you have been so welcoming. Before that, we were preparing for the qualifiers in India (Bengaluru). We got a chance to play against Uzbekistan in two friendlies,' as quoted from the official website of the AIFF. 'We have a very interesting group with Thailand, Iraq, Mongolia and Timor-Leste. I think it will be a very good competition for everyone. Women's football is progressing in Asia, and everyone, the coaches and the players, are here to learn,' he added. 'For Thailand, it's a privilege to play at home. It's very encouraging for all of us to be here. For us, India, it's a big challenge. Competing with teams like Iraq, Mongolia, Timor-Leste, and especially, Thailand. But we are focused on one match at a time, and are looking forward to playing Mongolia tomorrow (Monday),' Chettri noted. India, ranked 70th in the world, have never faced Mongolia before. The East Asian side only played their first official match in 2018, which was also the year they last won a competitive fixture -- a 1-0 victory over Guam in the East Asian Women's Championship. Currently ranked 126th, Mongolia haven't played a tournament since November 2023 when they lost all three matches to Korea DPR (0-19), Hong Kong (0-6) and Northern Mariana Islands (3-4). Ahead of leading the team back into competitive action after a year and a half, Mongolia coach Bayasgalangiin Garidmagnai, who is also the coach of their senior men's national team, said, 'The national team has trained really well, although we had some internal problems and only had about three weeks of training. We are a bit concerned about the heat as we are a team from a cold country.' On the contrary, Chettri stated that the weather will not pose any issues for India. Although the conditions in Chiang Mai are more humid as compared to Bengaluru, the Blue Tigresses have acclimatised well in the northern Thai city. 'When it comes to the weather, I think India and Thailand are quite similar. We are used to the environment here now. We have come with a positive mindset. Although our team is in a transition phase, and we have come with very young players, our goal is to reach Australia,' said the Indian coach. (ANI)
NDTV
22-06-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
After 2022 Heartbreak, Indian Women's Football Team Eye Fresh Start In Asian Cup Qualifiers
More than three years after a COVID outbreak in the team derailed their campaign in the last AFC Women's Asian Cup, India will make a fresh bid for a place in the continental showpiece, with Mongolia being their first test in the Qualifiers in Chiang Mai on Monday. The upcoming edition of the premier tournament will be held in Australia next year. It wouldn't be wrong to says that the continent's top competition has been somewhat ill-fated for the Blue Tigresses in the last few decades. India last made it to the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2003. And when they hosted the tournament in 2022, a COVID outbreak in the side meant that India had to withdraw after only the first game and the results were declared void. While India do have three podium finishes in the erstwhile Asian Women's Championship (runners-up in 1980 and 1983, and third place in 1981), they have not achieved anything for more than 40 years. Besides the opener against Mongolia, India (ranked 70th) will face Timor Leste (ranked 158th) on June 29, Iraq (ranked 173rd) on July 2 and hosts Thailand (ranked 46th) on July 5, at the Chiang Mai Stadium. Only the group winners will qualify for the final tournament in Australia in March 2026, which will also serve as a qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2027. Apart from Thailand, India have never faced the other three Group B opponents before. "We don't have much information about Mongolia, Timor Leste and Iraq. They haven't played any matches recently. We do know a bit about Thailand. They played two games against Nepal in the last window, and one of them was closed doors," said head coach Crispin Chettri. "I tried different variations in our friendlies (against Uzbekistan). I tested many combinations in midfield, involving Sangita (Basfore), Karthika (Angamuthu), Ratanbala (Nongmaithem), Grace (Dangmei) and Anju (Tamang)." While India lost both friendlies 0-1 against Uzbekistan on May 30 and June 3, it was significant preparation for the all-important qualifiers. The Blue Tigresses, who had trained in Bengaluru since the start of May, travelled to Chiang Mai a week before the first game, and have had four full training sessions so far, including an intra-squad match. "I think coming to Chiang Mai earlier has helped us to acclimatise to the weather conditions and adjust to time difference. The weather here is more humid than in Bengaluru. The training ground is great and we're shaping up well for the forthcoming matches. We also played a full 90-minute match among ourselves on Thursday," said Chettri. With an average age of 23.6 years, Chettri has named a fairly young squad consisting of a lot of newcomers. But that's not to say there's a dearth of experience. For a Malavika, there's a Dangmei Grace, for a Priyadharshini, there's an Anju Tamang, for a Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi, there's a Ngangbam Sweety Devi. "We have a very good mix of youth and experience. We had 18-year-old goalkeeper Monalisha (Moirangthem) debut against Uzbekistan. I'm not scared to play with youngsters because this is how they are going to gain experience. And playing such important AFC matches will help us grow," said Chettri. "Staying and working together for more than 45 days has done a great deal of good for their chemistry, and now what matters is executing it on the pitch. The focus on the training pitch has shifted more to tactical details."
Hans India
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Hans India
Crispin Chettri says his squad is 'shaping up well' for AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers
The Indian senior women's team will kick off their AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers campaign on Monday and will look to create new history in the 21st century after having three podium finishes in the erstwhile Asian Women's Championship (runners-up in 1980 and 1983, and third place in 1981). India (ranked 70th) will face Mongolia (ranked 126th) on June 23, Timor Leste (ranked 158th) on June 29, Iraq (ranked 173rd) on July 2 and hosts Thailand (ranked 46th) on July 5, at the 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium. Only the group winners will qualify for the final tournament in Australia in March 2026. The AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 will also serve as a qualifier for the FIFA Women's World Cup Brazil 2027. Apart from Thailand, India have never faced the other three Group B opponents before. "We don't have much information about Mongolia, Timor Leste and Iraq. They haven't played any matches recently. We do know a bit about Thailand. They played two games against Nepal in the last window, and one of them was closed doors," said Chettri. "I tried different variations in our friendlies (against Uzbekistan). I tested many combinations in midfield, involving Sangita (Basfore), Karthika (Angamuthu), Ratanbala (Nongmaithem), Grace (Dangmei) and Anju (Tamang)." While India lost both friendlies 0-1 against Uzbekistan on May 30 and June 3, it was significant preparation for the all-important qualifiers. Indian women, who had trained in Bengaluru since the start of May, travelled to Chiang Mai a week before the first game against Mongolia, and have had four full training sessions so far, including an intra-squad match. "I think coming to Chiang Mai earlier has helped us a lot to acclimatise to the weather conditions and adjust to the time difference. The weather here is a bit more humid than in Bengaluru. The training ground is great and we're shaping up well for the forthcoming matches. We also played a full 90-minute match amongst ourselves on Thursday," said Chettri. With an average age of just 23.6 years, Chettri has named a fairly young squad consisting of a lot of newcomers. But that's not to say there's a dearth of experience. For Malavika, there's a Dangmei Grace, for Priyadharshini, there's an Anju Tamang, for Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi, there's a Ngangbam Sweety Devi. "We have a very good mix of youth and experience. We had 18-year-old goalkeeper Monalisha (Moirangthem) debut against Uzbekistan. I'm not scared to play with youngsters because this is how they are going to gain experience. And playing such important AFC matches will help us grow," said Chettri. 'Staying and working together for more than 45 days has done a great deal of good for their chemistry, and now what matters is executing it on the pitch. The focus on the training pitch has shifted more to tactical details. "We're done working on the physical aspects now. We're focusing on patterns and set pieces every day, whether it's defending or attacking. We'll also know more about the opponents as the qualifiers progress," Chettri added. AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers Group B Schedule: June 23: Mongolia vs India (14:30 IST) June 29: India vs Timor Leste (14:30 IST) July 2: India vs Iraq (14:30 IST) July 5: Thailand vs India (18:00 IST) India's 23-member final squad for the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 Qualifiers- Goalkeepers: Elangbam Panthoi Chanu, Moirangthem Monalisha Devi, Payal Basude. Defenders: Hemam Shilky Devi, Kiran Pisda, Martina Thokchom, Ngangbam Sweety Devi, Phanjoubam Nirmala Devi, Purnima Kumari, Sanju, Sorokhaibam Ranjana Chanu. Midfielders: Anju Tamang, Grace Dangmei, Karthika Angamuthu, Nongmaithem Ratanbala Devi, Priyadharshini Selladurai, Sangita Basfore. Forwards: Lynda Kom Serto, Malavika P, Manisha Kalyan, Pyari Xaxa, Rimpa Haldar, Soumya Guguloth.
