Who is Divya Deshmukh? India's 19-year-old chess prodigy making waves at FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 in Georgia
Having defeated compatriot GM Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals, winning both the tie-break games, Deshmukh drew her first semifinal game against China's Tan Zhongyi with a 0.5-0.5 scoreline. The result from the first game were shared on the official X handle of FIDE.
Earlier, Deshmukh had stunned China's world no.6 Zhu Jiner in th tournament. Deshmukh has trainer herself under GM R.B. Ramesh at Chess Gurukul in Chennai and is best known for her sharp tactical vision, unshakeable composure, and creative flair.
Born in Nagpur to doctor parents Jitendra and Namratha, Deshmukh was drawn into sports when her elder sister enrolled her into badminton. But she found her love in chess at the age of five and quickly advanced.
Two years later, Deshmukh brought home her first title, winning the Under-7 National Championship in 2012. That was followed by world youth titles in U‑10 (Durban, 2014) and U‑12 (Brazil, 2017) categories.
Deshmukh got er woman FIDE Master early on and by 2021, she has earned the title of Woman Grandmaster (WGM), and became Vidarbha's first and India's 22nd under that rating.
In 2023, Deshmukh got the title of International Master (IM) and won the World Junior Girls' U‑20 Championship in 2024 as a world no.1. She had finished with a dominant 10/11 score of 54:53.
There was no looking back for Deshmukh as the Nagpur girl played a crucial role in India's team gold at the 45th Chess Olympiad (2024) in Budapest. At an individual level, Deshmukh achieved a performance rating over 2600 in the blitz segment of the World Team Rapid & Blitz Championship. So far, Deshmukh has three chess Olympiad gold medals in her cabinet, and multiple Asian and World Youth titles.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
16 minutes ago
- Hans India
Kavitha creates history in river rafting expedition
New Delhi/Srikakulam: In a remarkable display of courage and endurance, Major Kavitha Vasupalli, a medical officer in the Indian Army, has made history as the sole woman participant in a world-record-setting Brahmaputra river rafting expedition. The team navigated a staggering 1,040 kilometre in just 28 days, travelling from Gelling village near the Indo-Tibetan border to Hatsingimari, close to the Indo-Bangladesh border. A native of Metturu village in Srikakulam district, Major Kavitha faced formidable challenges. She braved Grade 4+ rapids, freezing waters, and multiple raft flips. Undeterred by nature's fury, she demonstrated not only incredible physical resilience but also immense mental fortitude. This journey was a battle against the river's wildest forces, demanding peak physical fitness and unwavering emotional and mental endurance. Major Kavitha's journey represents the spirit of the modern Indian soldier: bold, compassionate, and unstoppable. In recognition of her selfless service and indomitable spirit, she was awarded the Vishisht Seva Medal on Republic Day 2025. She also received the COAS Commendation Card for her life-saving medical actions during the Mt. Gorichen summit expedition. Her participation in the expedition is an inspiration, particularly for women in rural India, proving that courage knows no gender and grit has no boundaries. The historic expedition was led by Col Ranveer Singh Jamwal, a renowned adventurer, Tenzing Norgay Awardee, and a three-time Everest summiteer. As the director of the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS), his leadership was instrumental in turning the journey into a landmark achievement in global adventure sports. World Book of Records, London, also gave a certificate of participation in the adventurous journey in Brahmaputra to her. Kavitha's name was entered in World Book of Records in March 2025 for her achievement for the river rafting expedition.
Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Durand Cup: How the oldest football league outside British Isles has evolved over time
The 134th edition of the Durand Cup, the oldest extant football tournament outside the British Isles, began in Kolkata on Wednesday. Established in 1888, Durand Cup was the most prestigious tournament in Indian football until the late twentieth century. Here's a brief history. The tournament is named after Sir Mortimer Durand, a British diplomat best known for drawing the contentious international border between British India (now Pakistan) and Afghanistan. Durand instituted the tournament in 1888 as recreation for British troops: the first edition saw the participation of six British and two Scottish regimental teams. Till 1940, the Durand Cup was held each September in Shimla, the summer capital of the Raj. Matches were played with full military pomp and pageantry in the picturesque meadow of Annandale. 'Smartly attired military bands played tuneful marching tunes before the match and during the interval. Pennants of the participating British regimental teams fluttered in the sun. The Viceroy of India would personally hand over the prizes,' Novy Kapadia, the legendary Indian football writer, wrote in Barefoot to Boots: The Many Lives of Indian Football (2017). In 1922, Calcutta-based Mohun Bagan became the first civilian side to take part in the tournament, paving the way for Indian participation. But in these initial years, the mostly barefoot Indian teams could not cope with superior British opposition. 'Realising this, Durand authorities came up with a unique idea in 1937, to have a separate tournament for all teams knocked out in the first round. This competition was known as the Little Durand, or 'Chhota' Durand, and was held concurrently with the main tournament,' Kapadia wrote. Another Calcutta-based club, Mohammedan Sporting, broke the British monopoly on the Durand Cup in 1940, the year the tournament moved to Delhi. In front of a 1,00,000-strong crowd at the Irwin Amphitheatre (now the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium), the team of 11 Muslims beat the Royal Warwickshire Regiment 2-1 in the final. After a break due to World War II, Independence, and Partition, the tournament resumed in 1950. Beginning with Dr Rajendra Prasad, a football enthusiast, the President of India took over the role of the erstwhile Viceroy in the final. 'Six Indian Presidents, from Rajendra Prasad to Neelam Sanjiva Reddy graced the Durand final and watched the complete match. During half-time they would have tea with the captains… [and] chat about football and sports…,' Kapadia wrote. While regimental teams of the Indian Army continued to take part — the Army still plays a central role in organising the Durand Cup — civilian clubs have been more dominant the post-Independence era. Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, with 17 and 16 wins respectively, have been the most successful teams in the tournament's history, followed by the Border Security Force team with seven wins. Punjab-based JCT has won five times. The Hyderabad City Police team was a formidable force in the 1950s and early-1960s, with four wins. 'For about four decades, till the end of the 1980s, the greatness of a player and even clubs was judged by how many Durand finals they had played in and how many Durand titles they had won,' Kapadia wrote. In the 1990s, attendance at the games, held in the Delhi Gate Stadium (later renamed Ambedkar Stadium), began dropping, which coincided with a general decline in interest in Indian football. The reasons, according to commentators, include the exposure on television to vastly superior foreign leagues, and the surge in the interest in cricket. As other leagues emerged — notably the I-League in the 1990s and the Indian Super League in the 2010s — big clubs such as Mohun Bagan and East Bengal gradually lost interest, often sending B-teams to Durand, or not sending sides at all. Since 2019, the tournament has been primarily hosted by Kolkata which remains the bastion of football in India. Although recent editions have managed to attract big sides, Durand nowadays is effectively a glorified pre-season tournament, providing managers an opportunity to fine-tune tactics and players before the domestic season begins.
Time of India
32 minutes ago
- Time of India
I want to win gold at the next World Kudo Cup: Zidaan Vispy Kharadi
Zidaan Vispy Kharadi; (below) With his World Cup silver medal At the recently concluded World Kudo Cup 2025 in Bulgaria, Surat's Zidaan Vispy Kharadi made India proud by winning a silver medal. The 16-year-old martial arts sensation says, 'I am the only player from Gujarat who won a medal at this year's World Cup, which had over 500 athletes from 30 countries competing. It's a huge achievement but I am sad about narrowly missing out on the gold medal. It was a very close fight and the scores were level, but the referee eventually ruled in favour of my Japanese opponent. While we felt it was a biased decision, we can't do anything about it. I will come back stronger and want to win gold next time. I became the first Indian kudo player to beat a Japanese player at the World Cup when I won the semi-final. Now, I want to do even better at the next World Cup.' He adds, 'Surat offers very good facilities for kudo players and I am happy to see that a lot of young players are taking up the sport. Also, we now have more than one lakh kudo practitioners in India, which is a huge number.' What is kudo? It is a Japanese hybrid martial art and combat sport, comprising full contact punches, kicks, throwing and submission techniques on the ground. 'I have always been interested in martial arts' Talking about his journey, he shares, 'I started practising karate at the age of three under my dad. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo I have always been interested in martial arts. Currently, I am a student of Class XI (Science) and our education system is such that it's tough for a sportsperson to balance studies and sport. I have chosen dummy schooling and I am a good student, so I have managed to cope well.' 'I look at setbacks as a stepping stone to success' Recalling his World Championship loss in 2023, he says, 'While I was the national champion for over a decade, I lost in the first round to a player from Georgia. I look at setbacks as a stepping stone to success and I trained harder after that. During the off season, I train for four hours daily. But for this World Cup, I trained for about 10 hours every day.' 'My father has been my biggest inspiration' Vispy Kharadi, Zidaan's father, is a reputed martial arts expert and a 16-time Guinness World Record holder. Zidaan says, 'Dad has been my coach since childhood and while he can be very strict during training, he has been my biggest inspiration. After I won this medal, he told me, 'I know you were the better player in the final and you won. So, for me, you have won the gold.' Those words meant a lot. Yazdan (13), my younger brother, is also a kudo player and he competed in the under-13 boys category at the World Cup. We often train together.' He adds, 'Yazdan is least interested in breaking dad's world records (laughs). He says, 'I don't want records, I will just fight.' But I might try and break a few of his records later.'
