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Time of India
28-07-2025
- Sport
- Time of India
Golden era! Divya Deshmukh wins Women's Chess World Cup at 19: How India's youngsters take over world stage
Divya Deshmukh (Photo: X/@FIDE_chess) In another spectacular chess triumph for India, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh emerged as the torchbearer of a new generation. The Nagpur native scripted history by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, defeating veteran Koneru Humpy in a nerve-wracking tiebreaker on Monday. With this win, Divya not only claimed one of the most prestigious titles in women's chess but also earned the coveted Grandmaster (GM) title, a feat no one expected at the tournament's start. 'I didn't even have a single GM norm before this. Now, I'm a Grandmaster. It feels surreal,' said an emotional Divya, overwhelmed after her victory against an opponent twice her age. She became only the fourth Indian woman to achieve GM status, following in the footsteps of Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and Vaishali Rameshbabu. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Divya's win is just one highlight in a golden era for Indian chess. The country's young stars have taken over the global stage with poise and power. At the 45th FIDE Chess Olympiad in Budapest in 2024, both India's men's and women's teams clinched gold medals for the first time in history. The women's team, featuring Harika Dronavalli, Vaishali Rameshbabu, Divya Deshmukh, Vantika Agrawal, and Tania Sachdev, held their nerve under pressure and delivered consistent performances to beat global powerhouses. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Duong Bo Xuyen: Unsold Furniture Liquidation 2024 (Prices May Surprise You) Unsold Furniture | Search Ads Learn More Undo On the men's side, the "Big Three" of Indian chess, Gukesh D, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, and Arjun Erigaisi, led the Open team to gold. Gukesh's journey didn't stop there; he went on to become the World Chess Champion, defeating China's Ding Liren to become the youngest Indian ever to claim the title at the age of 18. Poll Do you think India's young chess players will continue to dominate international competitions in the future? Yes, definitely Most likely Uncertain No, it's just a phase Adding to the year's accolades, 19-year-old Praggnanandhaa kicked off 2025 by winning the Tata Steel Masters at Wijk aan Zee, defeating Gukesh in a gripping finale. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Pranav Venkatesh became the World Junior Chess Champion last March, further highlighting the depth of young talent emerging from India. Five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand hailed this as a 'great celebration of Indian chess,' and rightly so. With teenagers now dominating the world's toughest chess competitions, India's future on the 64 squares looks brighter than ever. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Hindustan Times
01-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Ex-sports secretary Sujata Chaturvedi appointed UPSC member
New Delhi, Former sports secretary Sujata Chaturvedi was on Thursday sworn in as a member of the Union Public Service Commission, officials said. Chaturvedi was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Lt Gen Raj Shukla , the senior most member of the Union Public Service Commission , a statement issued by the UPSC said. A UPSC member is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age. The Commission, which conducts civil services examinations to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service , Indian Foreign Service and Indian Police Service , among others, is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of 10 members. With Chaturvedi's appointment, there exists a vacancy of three more members. UPSC chairperson Preeti Sudan's term ended on Tuesday. A 1989-batch IAS officer, Chaturvedi was allotted Bihar cadre, the statement said. She has vast administrative experience of more than three decades in the cadre, as well as in the government of India, it said. In Bihar, she served as the principal secretary, department of finance; commercial tax commissioner; secretary, department of finance; and as vice-chairman, department of urban development, the statement said. At the Centre, Chaturvedi held the post of secretary, youth affairs and sports; additional secretary, department of personnel and training ; and as regional deputy director general in the Unique Identification Authority of India , it said. During her tenure as the secretary, department of sports, she contributed significantly to many initiatives for the overall development of sports in the country, the statement said. "To name a few, some of her initiatives include hosting the annual Khelo India Games, the FIDE Chess Olympiad, FIFA Under-17 Women's World Cup, implementation of a National Sports Repository System, country-wide mapping of standard sports facilities and the enactment of the anti-doping bill to strengthen the nation's fight against doping," the statement said. Hailing from Maharashtra, Chaturvedi is conversant in Hindi, English, Urdu, Russian and Marathi, it added. Chaturvedi did her graduation in English and post-graduation in history from the Nagpur University. She also did her MPhil in public administration and has a diploma in Russian language, the statement said.
