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India Today
9 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Divya Deshmukh's World Cup title: A testament to India's massive strength in chess
In sports, there are very few instances when one can confidently say, "Jeetega toh India hi" (Only India will win). You can't say that in cricket, hockey, badminton, or any other sport. But in chess, that statement now holds weight. India's dominance in the sport has become so comprehensive that the outcome often feels like a foregone conclusion. The 2025 Chess World Cup in Batumi was the culmination of this the context. The final between Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh was dubbed a 'Clash of Generations.' Humpy, a bonafide great and an inspiration to countless Indian women chess players, faced an opponent nearly half her age. Humpy had already staged a remarkable second wind, returning from motherhood to win two World Rapid titles. On the other hand, Divya had made her mark in Olympiads and junior THE STUDENT OUTPLAYS HUMPY THE TEACHERHeading into the World Cup, Humpy was considered one of the favourites. Divya, while talented, was seen as an underdog who could potentially cause an upset. But as the tournament progressed, both players found themselves on a collision course. Divya took down top Chinese players like Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi en route to the final. Just last month, she had defeated world number one Hou Yifan at the World Rapid and Blitz Championships — a feat that earned praise from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Meanwhile, Humpy defeated heavyweights like Lei Tingjie and former world champion Alexandra final saw both players searching for opportunities in classical play, but the game ended in a draw. Heading into the rapid tiebreaks, Humpy, a two-time World Rapid Champion, appeared to have the upper hand. But Divya held a psychological edge as she had beaten Humpy in the rapid round of the Tata Steel Masters last Batumi, it was Divya who showed more initiative. Game 1 was a strategic battle; Divya only agreed to a draw when no counterplay remained. Game 2 was another even contest until a single blunder by Humpy opened the door. Divya nearly threw away the advantage by being overly aggressive, but Humpy's second fatal blunder under time pressure sealed the play was a testament to modern chess — precise, psychological, and built on exploiting mistakes. Her early flurry of moves gave her a significant time advantage, while Humpy's slower play left her vulnerable. In the end, the student triumphed over the teacher in dramatic SUCCESS REFLECTS INDIA'S CHESS DOMINANCEDivya Deshmukh's win over Koneru Humpy was more than just a personal triumph. It was the icing on the cake for Indian chess. Since Gukesh D qualified for the Candidates in December 2023, Indian players have seen unprecedented success at every not only won the Candidates but also followed it up with double gold — individually and for the team. Similarly, Divya shone at the Olympiad, winning both individual and team golds as India completed a historic double. Gukesh's win over Ding Liren in the World Championship brought chess back into mainstream Indian consciousness for the first time since Viswanathan Anand's momentum has not slowed. Praggnanandhaa has won titles at UzChess, Tata Steel Chess, and Superbet Romania. Gukesh has beaten Magnus Carlsen in both rapid and classical formats, the latter in Carlsen's own backyard in Stavanger, Norway. That victory echoed Carlsen's win over Anand in Chennai back in 2013, but this time, the tables had turned. Arjun Erigaisi and Nihal Sarin have also found success on the the junior category, Pranav Venkatesh is now the World Junior Champion, and India bagged three gold medals in the FIDE World Cup Cadets 2025 in the Under-10 and Under-12 events held in title is simply the latest milestone in a golden era. All eyes now turn to 2026, where both Divya and Humpy will aim to qualify for and win the Women's Candidates. If India can produce winners in both the Open and Women's categories, it will confirm that India's dominance in chess is not a fluke. The foundation is laid. The mission for 2026 is clear: sustain the success that 2025 has delivered.- EndsMust Watch
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First Post
10 hours ago
- Sport
- First Post
Divya Deshmukh flips the script and rewrites history at Chess World Cup, signalling brighter future for Indian women's chess
Divya Deshmukh's victory at the 2025 Women's Chess World Cup was historic, but more importantly, it highlighted her flourishing game and signalled the possibility of Indian women dominating the sport. read more In an unprecedentedly successful campaign for India, Divya Deshmukh emerged as its biggest star. Image: PTI Divya Deshmukh credited fate in disbelief as she became the first Indian to win a Women's Chess World Cup and stormed to the Grandmaster title without fulfilling the required norms. 'I think it was fate, me getting the grandmaster title this way. Before the tournament, I didn't even have one norm. I was thinking that I could maybe earn a grandmaster norm here," an emotional Divya said as FIDE's interviewer tried to capture some candid moments immediately after the teenager's historic victory. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD A few seconds later, something changed, not the tone, but the self-belief and resolve that pushed the former International Master from a relatively smaller city, Nagpur, to the topmost of the podium in Batumi, Georgia, came to the fore. 'This means a lot, but there's a lot more to achieve. I'm hoping this is just the start,' the 19-year-old declared. Divya's ascent to the top in the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, which included 107 players, some of the best chess minds, except world champion Ju Wenjun and a tough knock-out format battle, was based on the same self-belief and resolve. Divya flips the script and rewrites history We already know she entered the tournament without a single GM norm, but also had a low seeding of 15th in the tournament that included multiple former world champions. The one , another Indian and the torchbearer of women's chess in the country, Koneru Humpy, is the reigning Women's World Rapid Chess Champion. Then there was former 2008 Women's World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, 2012 Women's World Champion Anna Ushenina and 2017 Women's World Champion Tan Zhongyi. The grinding field also included the 2018 World Championship runner-up Kateryna Lagno and the 2023 Women's World Championship runner-up Lei Tingjie, who was also the top seed. It didn't end there. The seven-round knockout format, where each player contested two Classical games followed by tiebreaks if needed, exerted colossal mental pressure on the competitors. There were no freebies and every loss could mean elimination. If the idiom 'trial by fire' could take the shape of a playing field, it would be the line-up that stood in front of Divya. But what did she do? Divya scripted an incredible streak of four consecutive wins from the fourth round against higher-ranked players, beating second seed Zhu Jiner of China in Round 4, stunning 10th seed and compatriot D Harika in the quarter-finals, outwitting former world champion Tan Zhongyi of China in the semi-finals, before the big scalp in the final. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Divya Deshmukh's historic win at the 2025 Women's Chess World Cup will inspire a new generation of women chess players in India. Image: PTI To pull off such a feat once could be luck, but to do it four times on a trot within a span of a few days only highlights how special the 2024 Women's Under-20 World Champion is as a player. Zhu Jiner's defeat: The crown jewel of Divya's historic campaign That speciality of her chess was on full display when Divya outsmarted 22-year-old Jiner in the fourth round, who enjoyed a 5-0 record over the Indian till then. Divya won the first Classical game, but Jiner came back in the second, forcing tiebreaks. The story for the Indian prodigy could have been over in the first tiebreak when she committed a 34th-move knight blunder and a 61st-move Rook blunder with the Black pieces, but somehow managed to take the game to 99 moves and forced the Chinese chess star to resign. The second tiebreak ended in a draw and Divya made the impossible possible. Her stunning victory was only made sweeter by the fact that three other players from the same country — Humpy, Harika and R Vaishali also qualified for the final eight stage, a first in the world of chess and new history for India. In the quarter-finals, Divya got the better of Harika and quickly reminded us how much the victory over Jiner had positively impacted her game. 'Zhu Jiner was definitely my toughest opponent up to now and winning the tiebreak against her gave me confidence for this one," she said after reaching the semi-finals. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Soon, only two Indians were left in the tournament — Divya and Humpy — at the semi-final stage, where both scripted exceptional wins. Humpy outclassed top seed Tingjie 5-3 despite trailing 0-1 at one point, while Divya stunned former champion Zhongyi. The rest, as they say, is history. Also Read | How Divya outfoxed Humpy, scripted history by winning FIDE Women's Chess World Cup But besides Divya's individual glory, the tournament also underlined the rapid strides Indian women's chess is making. Last year, they captured the Olympiad gold for the first time. This year, Divya, 19 years younger than 38-year-old Humpy, won India's first Women's World Cup title, signalling that the future would be even brighter than the glittering present.
Time of India
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Divya Deshmukh wins Women's World Cup: List of the 19-year-old's achievements
I Tired of too many ads? go ad free now n a defining moment for Indian chess, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh clinched the FIDE Women's World Cup title with a composed and clinical win over Koneru Humpy in Batumi, Georgia. The result not only gave her the biggest title of her young career but also secured her final Grandmaster norm, making her the fourth Indian woman to become a GM. Ranked 15th going into the tournament, Divya stitched together a remarkable run, defeating several higher-rated opponents before facing Humpy, India's top-ranked woman and the reigning World Rapid champion in the final. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! After both classical games ended in draws, the match moved to rapid tiebreaks. The first game was evenly contested, but in the second, Divya showed steel under pressure, capitalising on Humpy's late endgame errors to seal the match. The performance was a showcase of sharp preparation, poise, and fearless play from a teenager whose rise has been swift and emphatic. This victory has announced Divya as a key figure in Indian chess's new generation and marks a significant step in the country's deepening influence on the global stage. List of Divya Deshmukh's achievements First Indian woman to win the Chess World Cup Double gold medallist (team and individual) at the Budapest Olympiad in 2024 Second teenage Indian girl to earn a Grandmaster title (after Koneru Humpy in 2002) Third woman to win the World Cup after Alexandra Kosteniuk (2021) and Aleksandra Goryachkina (2023) Fourth Indian woman to become a Grandmaster, after Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R. Vaishali 44th woman globally to earn the GM title 88th Indian overall to become a Grandmaster Poll What do you think is the most significant achievement of Divya Deshmukh's recent victory? Winning the FIDE Women's World Cup Securing her Grandmaster title Defeating higher-rated opponents Becoming a role model for young players Notably, Divya has managed achieve all of these feats at 19 years of age. For her, the win is a career breakthrough. For Indian chess, it is another milestone in a golden era.
Hans India
15 hours 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.
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
The banana survives in Batumi; India gets its first-ever Women's World Cup champion in Divya Deshmukh
Divya Deshmukh beat Koneru Humpy to become the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup in Georgia. Her companion through it all was a banana. NEW DELHI: In Batumi, Georgia, the final handshake left nineteen-year-old Divya Deshmukh full of raw emotions and tears — not just for the game she had just won, but for what it meant: India, for the first time ever, had a Women's World Cup chess champion — her closest companion in that moment were not her parents, coach or a fan, but a humble banana. Yes, a banana, untouched through the tension and triumph, now turned into the most unassuming witness to one of Indian chess's most glorious days. In chess, White pieces traditionally hold the advantage by virtue of the first move. But Divya had the black pieces, going into the decider of Monday's rapid tie-break against thirty-eight-year-old legendary Grandmaster (GM) Koneru Humpy, after all three previous classical and rapid games had ended in draws. The game teetered delicately, move after move, until Humpy cracked under the time pressure on move 40. Her sequence, 40.e4 followed by 41.d5, forced Divya to play and the veteran survived the first time. But it was not the last. The game stayed on a knife's edge from there, with both players trading blunders and brilliance, led more by instinct than calculation as the clock ticked menacingly. When Humpy played 69.h7, the evaluation bar dropped again but never climbed back in her favour. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like TV providers are furious: this gadget gives you access to all channels Techno Mag Learn More Undo Six moves later, the two-time World Rapid champion resigned. And with it came the coronation of a champion, a new queen of 64 squares, India's 88th GM. The board as Divya Deshmukh became the first Indian to win the Women's Chess World Cup. It felt like a dream that the 15th-seed teenager, with no Grandmaster norms coming into the tournament, had just become only the fourth female in India after Humpy, D Harika, and R Vaishali to achieve the distinction. But unlike the other three, she did it in one swing, without amassing the three GM norms. The playing hall rose in applause. But there, quietly soaking up all the drama, sat the banana, an omnipresent figure in Divya's games these days. It had followed the Indian prodigy through round after round, a prop that puzzled many and amused more. Let's rewind to Sunday evening, after the draw in the second classical game of the final, Divya was eventually asked about it. 'I mean, what else am I going to do with the banana? I'm going to eat it,' she answered. 'I don't know what you're wondering about. I'm going to eat it, obviously.' Except, she never did. Divya Deshmukh on the podium after winning the gold medal at the FIDE Women's Chess World Cup. (Image: X/FIDE) 'My opponents are never letting me eat it,' she smiled, when pressed further. 'If I start eating a banana, then you should know that I'm pretty relaxed in my body.' But since there was no room for relaxation, the banana became her constant in the chaos. When asked if it was proving lucky, she laughed it off with a quick 'No!' But then again, we've all seen Rafael Nadal fuss over his water bottles and MS Dhoni with his glove rituals. Nevertheless, the banana sat just centimetres away, enjoyed the best view as Divya took down a player twice her age, earning the admiration of legends and the love of a 150-crore-strong nation. And now, while Divya may not have bitten into that, she has something far sweeter to sink her teeth into: a gold medal. Divya Deshmukh survived Batumi. So did the banana. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
