Latest news with #Grandmaster
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
'Young Indian girls need to get more training'
**EDS: THIRD PARTY IMAGE** In this image released by FIDE, India's chess players Divya Deshmukh, left, and Koneru Humpy during the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 final match tiebreaks, in Batumi, Georgia. (FIDE/Andrei Anosov via PTI Photo)(PTI07_28_2025_000347B) Nagpur: Twenty-three years after Koneru Humpy achieved the Grandmaster title, becoming one of the youngest — and first Indian — women GMs in 2002, the 38-year-old has been carrying the Indian flag for over two decades. At the Women's Chess World Cup, Humpy secured a silver medal and also confirmed her second successive entry to the 2026 Candidates chess tournament. Though she went down fighting to Divya in a thrilling title clash, the two-time World rapid champion is satisfied with her performance. 'I didn't expect to do well in this knockout tournament considering my age, as the format needs a lot of energy. I am happy that I was able to beat strong players,' Humpy told TOI. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Revealing her trainer's (seconds in chess) name, Humpy said, 'I was able to do well thanks to my second, IM Kushager Krishnater, who has worked hard with sleepless nights.' There are only four women among the 88 Indian GMs. By winning the World Cup, Divya chose the shortest route to become a GM. With 19-yearold Divya joining the elite club of Humpy, D Harika, and R Vaishali, young players will get motivated to pick up the sport. Poll Do you think Koneru Humpy will continue to perform well in future tournaments? Yes, she has proven her skills. No, it's time for new players to shine. Divya's achievement means a lot to Indian women's chess, which had been looking for a worthy successor to Humpy, who is not done yet. Now India has two Candidates, one of whom will look to become the challenger to the world champion in 2026. Humpy said, 'We have a bunch of new generation players, and it's a positive sign that we are growing in the right direction. I think we need to give more training to the young girls to improve further.' Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
United News of India
a day ago
- Sport
- United News of India
PM Modi congratulates Divya Deshmukh on historic chess victory
New Delhi, July 29 (UNI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh for her remarkable triumph at the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup, where she not only clinched the prestigious title but also earned the title of Grandmaster. In a message shared on X, the Prime Minister wrote, 'It's been a phenomenal day for Indian Chess! Divya Deshmukh has not only won the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup but also become a Grandmaster. Congratulations to her. Her accomplishment will motivate many people and contribute to chess becoming even more popular among the youth.' The 19-year-old Deshmukh defeated seasoned Koneru Humpy in a tense final held in Batumi, Georgia yesterday. With this win, she became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE women's world cup and only the fourth Indian player to attain the Grandmaster title. UNI VAN PRS
NDTV
a day ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Sachin Tendulkar Hails Divya Deshmukh On Winning India's First FIDE Women's Chess World Cup
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday congratulated Divya Deshmukh on becoming India's first FIDE Women's World Cup champion in Batumi, Georgia. The 19-year-old Divya stunned the chess world by winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, becoming the first Indian woman to claim the prestigious title. In the all-Indian final, Divya defeated legendary compatriot Koneru Humpy 1.5–0.5 in the rapid tie-breaks on Monday to script a fairytale ending. Taking to X, Tendulkar wrote, "An all-Indian final. A historic win. Congrats Divya Deshmukh, India's first Women's World Cup Champion and newest Grandmaster. Full credit to Koneru Humpy for a thrilling contest yesterday!" The classical games played over the weekend had ended in tense draws, with both players showcasing resilience and elite-level play. In Saturday's opening game, Divya, playing with the white pieces, built a commanding position but let Humpy equalise late. The second game on Sunday was more balanced, though Divya admitted she 'wandered into trouble for no apparent reason' before holding on. But the tie-breaks were where the young sensation flipped the script. After the first rapid game ended in a draw, the second saw Humpy crack under time pressure, making critical blunders that Divya pounced on. With nerves of steel, Divya closed out the win to become the 2025 Women's World Cup champion, the fourth Indian woman to earn the Grandmaster title, and the country's 88th Grandmaster (GM) overall. Divya's sensational title triumph in the World Cup is proof that the country is a dominant force in chess and currently rules the world, with Dommaraju Gukesh crowned last year as the FIDE World Champion after beating Ding Liren of China in the final in Singapore.
Hans India
a day ago
- Sport
- Hans India
I'm hoping this is just the start: Divya Deshmukh
Batumi (Georgia): DivyaDeshmukh came to the star-studded FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 here as an underdog, hoping to at least win one Grandmaster norm in her journey to become a GM in the future. Little did the 19-year-old from Nagpur know that she would beat some of the best and biggest names in the sport to achieve three major milestones in a span of around three weeks -- secure a spot in the Candidates tournament next year, win the prestigious title and in the process, automatically become a Grandmaster. While becoming a GM is one of the toughest things in chess as a player needs to earn three GM norms in FIDE-approved tournaments events and cross the 2500 rating, things fell in place for the talented Nagpur player. FIDE has a rule that the winners of certain elite competitions can avoid the usual norm-and-rating route and become GMs directly. The Women's World Cup is one of those FIDE events where the winner straightaway becomes a GM if not already. 'I need time to process it (victory). It think it was fate me getting the Grandmaster title this way because I didn't even have one norm (coming into the event) and all I was thinking of was 'Oh, when can I get my norm', and now I'm a Grandmaster so...,' said Deshmukh, who beat compatriot Koneru Humpy to emerge winner. The youngster had her mother, a doctor, by her side in her moment of glory. She got emotional soon after beating Humpy, a two-time World Rapid champion and embraced her mother in a heartfelt hug, sobbing all along. 'It's hard for me to speak right now. It definitely means a lot, but of course there's a lot more to achieve,' said Deshmukh. 'I'm hoping this is just the start.' The achievement made Deshmukh only the fourth Indian woman to become a GM after Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R. Vaishali.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
FIDE Women's Chess World Cup review: Indian chess hits new high with Divya Deshmukh's title win
Indian chess has never had it this good, showcasing its growing prowess with consistency and signalling that the best may still lie ahead. After five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand's glorious years, Indian chess is now witnessing success stories like never before. In the past year alone, the country swept gold at the Chess Olympiad, 18-year-old D. Gukesh triumphed at the Candidates Tournament to become World Champion, and now, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh has stunned the world with her conquest of the Women's World Cup. The World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, featured a field of 107 players and intense knockout-format battles. The rules tested players' skills across multiple time formats. The elite field included nearly all top players except the reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun. As it turned out, the final battle for glory was fought between compatriots K. Humpy and Divya. At 38, Humpy had experience that exceeded Divya's age, but in the tournament's decisive phase, it was Divya's energy that proved more effective. It was a fairytale finish for the girl from Nagpur, who prevailed 2.5-1.5 after the two classical-format games ended in draws. In the tiebreaks, the second rapid game proved decisive when Humpy faltered more than once in a tense endgame. She could not capitalise on Divya's late oversight and eventually blundered, handing her younger opponent a memorable title win. For Divya, the World Cup was worth much more than the top prize of $50,000 (approximately ₹43.35 lakh). The victory brought with it the Grandmaster title—remarkable considering she arrived at the event without a single GM norm to her name. Divya, who became only the fourth Indian woman to earn the Grandmaster title, took the country's tally to 88. By topping the field, she led a trio of qualifiers for the Candidates Tournament, which decides who will challenge the reigning World Champion from China. After India secured two of the three Candidates spots, Tan Zhongyi beat Chinese teammate and favourite Lei Tingjie 1.5-0.5 by winning the second classical game. For the first time, India outplayed so many strong Chinese challengers in a marquee individual event. Divya ousted the second and third seeds — Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi — while Humpy eliminated top seed Lei Tingjie after clawing back from a 0-1 deficit to win 5-3 in a high-stakes semifinal. Of the nine Indians who competed, four reached the quarterfinals. By some twist of fate, each player who beat an Indian was eventually beaten by another Indian. Generational shift: A final that felt like a baton pass — from Humpy's legacy to Divya's rise. | Photo Credit: Anna Shtourman The celebrations began the moment Humpy joined Divya in the final, ensuring India would take the top two spots and secure a pair of Candidates berths. In recent years, the spotlight has largely been on India's rise in men's chess. Now, it's time to acknowledge how Indian women have steadily seized their place at the global high table. Last year, Humpy finished runner-up in the Candidates, while R. Vaishali placed a strong fourth. The women's team matched the men's gold-winning performance at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The year ended with Humpy reclaiming the World Rapid title and Vaishali claiming a surprise bronze in the World Blitz Championship. Divya's World Junior Girls title, though significant, flew under the radar. But her triumph in Batumi dwarfs all her previous successes. Seeded 15th, Divya beat five higher-rated opponents—among them former World Champion Tan Zhongyi and 2022 World Rapid winner Zhu Jiner. Add to that her victories over her idols-turned-teammates Humpy and Harika, and Divya's campaign acquires a whole new dimension. Though Divya's World Cup win will understandably overshadow other performances, it's important to recognise what Humpy accomplished during her run. As the highest non-Chinese seed, Humpy outperformed her fourth seeding by accounting for Lei Tingjie, the 2023 World Championship runner-up, in the semis. She had earlier defeated rising Chinese star Song Yuxin and 2008 World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, now representing Switzerland. Elsewhere, Harika impressed by defeating seventh seed Kateryna Lagno, the 2018 World Championship runner-up and a former World Rapid Champion. Another commendable performance came from 39th-seeded Vantika Agrawal, who knocked out 2012 World Champion Anna Ushenina on her way to the third round. All told, this World Cup will be remembered not just for Divya and Humpy's dominance but for the grit and resilience shown by the Indian contingent when it mattered most. In short, it was Indian women's chess at its finest, and the best possible global showcase of their rising stature. How the Indians fared Divya Deshmukh (Seed 15 | Rating: 2463 in June 2025) Champion R1: Bye R2: Beat 79-Kesaria Mgeladze (Georgia, 2226) — 1.5–0.5 R3: Beat 18-Teodora Injac (Serbia, 2457) — 1.5–0.5 Pre-QF: Beat 2-Zhu Jiner (China, 2547) — 2.5–1.5 QF: Beat 10-D. Harika (India, 2483) — 3–1 SF: Beat 3-Tan Zhongyi (China, 2546) — 1.5–0.5 Final: Beat 4-K. Humpy (India, 2543) — 2.5–1.5 Koneru Humpy (Seed 5 | Rating: 2543) Runner-up R1: Bye R2: Beat 61-Afruza Khamdamova (Uzbekistan, 2326) — 1.5–0.5 R3: Beat 29-Klaudia Kulon (Poland, 2407) — 1.5–0.5 Pre-QF: Beat 13-Alexandra Kosteniuk (Switzerland, —) — 2.5–1.5 QF: Beat 28-Song Yuxin (China, 2410) — 1.5–0.5 SF: Beat 1-Lei Tingjie (China, 2552) — 5–3 Final: Lost to 15-Divya Deshmukh — 1.5–2.5 D. Harika (Seed 10 | Rating: 2483) Quarterfinalist R1: Bye R2: Beat 55-P. V. Nandhidhaa (India, 2343) — 1.5–0.5 R3: Beat 23-Stavroula Tsolakidou (Greece, 2428) — 4–2 Pre-QF: Beat 7-Kateryna Lagno (Russia, 2515) — 3.5–2.5 QF: Lost to 15-Divya Deshmukh — 1–3 R. Vaishali (Seed 11 | Rating: 2481) Quarterfinalist R1: Bye R2: Beat 54-Maili-Jade Quellet (Canada, 2350) — 2–0 R3: Beat 22-Carissa Yip (USA, 2431) — 4–2 Pre-QF: Beat 59-Meruert Kamalidenova (Kazakhstan, 2330) — 4.5–3.5 QF: Lost to 3-Tan Zhongyi (China, 2546) — 0.5–1.5 Other Indian Participants Vantika Agarwal — Reached Third Round Padmini Rout — Reached Second Round P. V. Nandhidhaa — Reached Second Round K. Priyanka — Reached Second Round Kiran Manisha Mohanty — Lost in First Round
