Indian Chess recorded yet another great moment on Monday, as Divya Deshmukh won the Women’s World Cup in the Georgian city of Batumi. In the final, the 19-year-old defeated fellow-Indian Koneru Humpy in the tiebreakers. While Humpy contesting the final wasn’t much of a surprise—she is the World No. 5 and has been one of the best female players for the last couple of decades—not many would have anticipated Divya’s stunning show. But, given her obvious talent and the way she has been playing for the past two years, it didn’t come as a big surprise. By winning the World Cup, one of the biggest events organized by the world chess governing body FIDE, Divya also achieved another significant milestone. She became India’s 88th Grandmaster and is only the fourth Indian woman after Humpy, D. Harika and R. Vaishali to get that coveted title. Last year, Divya won the World junior championship in Ahmedabad with a dominant display. She also played a key role in India’s historic gold in the Chess Olympiad at Budapest. India was the top seed there, though. At the World Cup, the Indian women exceeded expectations, with four of them making it to the quarterfinals. (198 words)
[Extracted from the newspaper, The Hindu July 29, 2025]