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The Hindu
3 hours ago
- Sport
- The Hindu
FIDE Ratings: Divya Deshmukh enters top-15 in rankings after World Cup win; Praggnanandhaa, Gukesh, Erigaisi in top six
India's Divya Deshmukh entered the top 15 of FIDE's world women's classical chess rankings for the first time after her title win at the Women's World Cup in Georgia in July. The 19-year-old beat compatriot Koneru Humpy in the World Cup final. The win also secured Divya the Grandmaster title in addition to a spot at the Candidates tournament in 2026. In FIDE's latest update, Divya gained 15 rating points to get to 2478, jumping three ranking spots to sit 15th in the world. There are two more Indians in the top 15—D. Harika (2487) at 12th and Humpy (2535) at sixth. The top five spots in the women's rankings are all occupied by Chinese chess players: Hou Yifan (No. 1 with 2607), Ju Wenjun (No. 2 with 2570), Lei Tingjie (No. 3 with 2565), Tan Zhongyi (No. 4 with 2539) and Zhu Jiner (No. 5 with 2536). In the open category, Magnus Carlsen continued his stay at the top of the classic ranking table. There are three Indians in the top six: R. Praggnanandhaa (No. 4 with 2779), World champion D Gukesh (No. 5 with 2776) and Arjun Erigaisi (No. 6 with 2776). Praggnanandhaa also tops the FIDE Circuit 2025, which will offer a spot for the 2026 Candidates.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Another high for Divya Deshmukh, breaks into top-15 in rankings after FIDE World Cup win
Divya Deshmukh barged into the top 15 of the world as the August 2025 ratings list was released by FIDE, the global governing body of chess. Her rating also swelled by 15 points to go to 2478 after her barnstorming campaign at the FIDE Women's World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, where she won the title despite entering the tournament as the 15th-best ranked player. Thanks to winning the World Cup, arguably the most treacherous tournament to win in women's chess, Divya also became a grandmaster, India's 88th. She is also only the fourth woman from the country to get clinch highest title on offer in the sport. Winning the FIDE Women's World Cup also helped her secure a spot in the FIDE Women's Candidates tournament, where eight players will battle for the right to challenge the reigning women's world champion Ju Wenjun in the next Women's World Championship. With 2535 rating points, Koneru Humpy, who Divya defeated in the final of the World Cup in a thrilling tiebreak, remains the top-ranked Indian in the world in the women's rankings list. Humpy has, however, gone down one spot to no 6 in a ranking list dominated by the Chinese. The veteran Harika Dronavalli, who lost to Divya in the quarterfinal of the FIDE World Cup, was ranked 12th in the world among women, ahead of Divya. There are five women from China occupying the top 5 spots in the FIDE ratings list for women: Hou Yifan (world no 1 at 2607), Ju Wenjun (No 2 with 2570), Lei Tingjie (No 3 with 2565), Tan Zhongyi (No 4 with 2539) and Zhu Jiner (No 5 with 2536). Meanwhile in the open ratings list, there are three Indians among the world's no 6, led by Praggnanandhaa at world no 4 with a rating of 2779. World champion Gukesh is no 5 while Arjun Erigaisi is no 6. Both players have the same points, 2776.
Indian Express
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
Divya Deshmukh reveals her team of Seconds for Women's World Cup; dedicates GM title to late coach Rahul Joshi
Divya Deshmukh, the 19-year-old latest chess star from India, has revealed her team of Seconds, which helped her win the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. The triumph in Georgia's coastal city of Batumi helped her become the first Indian to win this elite event; it also made her the fourth Indian female Grandmaster after Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli and R. Vaishali. Revealing her Seconds, Divya named GM Csaba Balogh and GM Abhimanyu Puranik as those who helped her train during the World Cup. 'Also, I was helped by Abhimanyu Puranik for this tournament. He was always there to cheer me on,' she further added. In an interview with IM Michael Rahal for FIDE, Divya revealed her team. She said, 'For this tournament, I was helped by Csaba Balogh. He's from Hungary. He's a really strong Grandmaster. He spent endless nights. I think he's had a harder time with this tournament than I have. He's got no sleep. He was the reason I had such good preparation.' 'Also, I was helped by Abhimanyu Puranik for this tournament. He was always there to cheer me on,' added Divya. GM Balogh is a 2014 Olympiad individual and team silver medallist for Hungary. Having received a GM title in 2004, Balogh was a member of the Hungarian national team that won both the U-16 Chess Olympiad and the European U-18 Team Chess Championship. Meanwhile, Puranik is a 25-year-old GM, based in Mumbai. He finished second at the World Junior Chess Championship in 2018. After returning to India, Divya dedicated her GM title to her first coach, late Rahul Joshi. Joshi, a well-known chess trainer from Nagpur, died in 2020 at the age of 40. 'He always wanted me to be a GM. I dedicate my GM title to him,' she said. Divya beat compatriot Humpy in the tiebreaks to win the World Cup as both players confirmed their spots in the upcoming women's Candidates Tournament set to be played in 2026. The Candidates acts as a challenger's tournament, which gives its winner the right to challenge the reigning World Champion.
Mint
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Mint
Chess grandmaster at 14: Who is Nihal Sarin, the 21-year-old who refused to draw with Magnus Carlsen?
Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin has reached the Chess playoffs at the Esports World Cup 2025 in Riyadh. After losing 0–2 to Arjun Erigaisi on Day 1, he bounced back with a 2–0 win over Anish Giri. Sarin, who represents S8UL Esports, then defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 1.5–0.5 to qualify from Group B. At EWC 2025, Nihal then faced five-time world champion Magnus Carlsen in the quarter-finals on July 31. The match drew attention for its tension and high-level play. In the first rapid game, Nihal managed a draw despite having only 20 seconds left. However, Carlsen later won the match 2.5–0.5 by taking the next games. One key moment came when Carlsen offered a draw in the second game, but Nihal refused. Carlsen smiled during the moment. Magnus later won that game. Though Nihal didn't reach the semifinals, his fearless performance impressed fans and experts. Nihal Sarin is one of India's top young chess players. He was born on July 13, 2004, in Thrissur, Kerala. He became a grandmaster at the age of 14 in 2018. Nihal is known for playing very fast while staying calm, even under time pressure. He is especially good in rapid and blitz chess formats. Nihal Sarin won the U-10 World Blitz Championship in 2013 and the U-10 World Youth Championship in 2014. In 2020, he became the U-18 World Youth Champion and won gold for India in the online FIDE Chess Olympiad. Sarin also won Junior Speed Chess Championship in 2020 and 2021. In 2022, he reached the final of the Global Championship, beating top players like Kramnik, Ding Liren and Anish Giri. Only Wesley So could stop him. He earned $100,000 as runner-up. That year, he also won the Tata Steel India Rapid and got a bronze medal at the FIDE Olympiad. In 2023, his FIDE rating reached 2692, placing him 44th in the world.
Time of India
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Time of India
‘Pressure doesn't matter, but my own expectations and goals do': Divya Deshmukh
Divya Deshmukh (FIDE Photo) NAGPUR: 'Failures make you much stronger than success. The struggles of being beaten left to right in the open tournaments that I played before the World Cup definitely helped me become what I am,' said Divya Deshmukh said on Thursday. In her first interaction with the media in her hometown after achieving a hat-trick of successes in Batumi, Georgia, Divya had a lot to say. The 19-year-old went to Batumi as an International Master (IM) and came back home as a Grandmaster (GM). In the final, Divya defeated India No. 1 Koneru Humpy to win the World Cup. She also secured her spot in the Candidates tournament. Excerpts from an interaction with the media... HER WEAPON I always had aggression in my game. I can say my opening preparations have always been a weapon. To play attacking chess and get into complicated positions are my tactics, which make the mind games easier for me. This is just my style of playing. PRESSURE IN THE FINAL Humpy is a much stronger player, and I have so much respect for her. In the first game, it was more of my failure than her success. I was quite upset after the first game because I had a very good position and knew how to win it. 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 I just didn't play it. So it definitely added pressure. The way I played in the second game with black pieces gave me confidence. Though Humpy is the reigning world rapid champion, I needed to have faith in myself and in my preparations. Since I was ready, I don't think there was any such pressure. TOUGH MATCHES I don't think I had any easy match in the World Cup. From an emotional perspective, the quarterfinals against Zhu Jiner were tough, and the finals was incredibly difficult. Against Zhu, I had a really bad head-to-head score, so quite difficult. Definitely the most difficult tournament of my career. HER EXPECTATIONS I have been carrying pressure for many years, so after a point, it doesn't matter. For me, what matters is my own expectations and my own goals. Pressure will always be there; it comes to your mind, but I am glad that I don't dwell upon it, don't think about it. SIMILARITY WITH GUKESH I think the fact that we both fight till the end is the biggest similarity. We started chess when we were kids at five or six. To go to the top, we need to depend on some factors like your environment, financial backing and support system. GOALS AND PLANS My goals have changed because in Batumi I got my GM title. It's time to come up with new goals. I am going to play Grand Swiss next and would like to win it. I don't think anything has changed for me. It is just that I reached one of my goals, but there are like 100 more left. And I am not satisfied. I am hoping this is just the beginning. COACH, SECONDS IN WORLD CUP In this tournament, I was helped by Hungarian GM Csaba Balogh, who spent sleepless nights. I think he had a harder time than me during the tournament. Indian GM Abhimanyu Puranik also helped me. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
