Divya Deshmukh education qualifications: From Nagpur school desks to becoming India's fourth woman chess grandmaster

Time of India

28-07-2025

Divya Deshmukh, India's fourth woman chess grandmaster.
After 24 gruelling days of world-class chess, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh stood atop the podium as the FIDE Women's World Cup Champion, having defeated none other than India's first woman Grandmaster, Koneru Humpy, in a nerve-wracking tiebreak final.
In doing so, Divya didn't just clinch one of the most coveted titles in women's chess, she also became India's fourth woman to earn the Grandmaster title, and the first ever to win the Women's World Cup.
But behind the grandmaster title and global headlines lies a quieter story of a schoolgirl from Nagpur, balancing academic excellence with a relentless pursuit of chess mastery.
A doctor's daughter raised on books and boards
Born on 9 December 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Divya Deshmukh grew up in a household where learning was the norm.
Her parents, Dr. Jitendra and Dr. Namratha Deshmukh, both medical professionals, instilled in her the discipline that comes with a rigorous academic environment. Yet it was a chessboard, not a stethoscope, that caught young Divya's fascination. Divya began her formal schooling at Bhavans Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir, a reputed CBSE-affiliated school in Nagpur.
By the age of 10, Divya was already a national-level champion, representing India in age-category events abroad.
But even as her passport filled up with stamps, her school diary stayed updated with homework and class notes. Teachers and classmates remember her not just as the 'chess girl' but as a focused, curious student who never used her talent as an excuse to skip studies.
She completed her Class 10 and 12 board exams with distinction, often preparing for them in hotel rooms or between chess rounds. Divya credits her school and family for never letting either side of her life feel like a burden.
Higher education: Learning on her own terms
Unlike many peers who jumped straight into college after Class 12, Divya made a conscious choice to focus on her chess career during its peak. However, that didn't mean abandoning academics. As of 2025, she is pursuing her higher education through distance learning, with a growing interest in sports psychology, performance science, and data analytics in chess.
She's enrolled in online certifications and open university courses, choosing flexibility over convention, a route many young athletes are now beginning to explore.
The making of a grandmaster
Divya was awarded the Woman Grandmaster (WGM) title in 2021 and soon became India's second-highest ranked woman player. Her rise was marked by wins at the Asian Women's Championship (2023), World U-20 Girls Championship (2024), and a string of top finishes in rapid and blitz formats. In 2024, she played a key role in India's team gold win at the 45th Chess Olympiad in Budapest.
2025 became her defining year. She defeated top seeds like Zhu Jiner, Harika Dronavalli, and Tan Zhongyi on her way to the FIDE Women's World Cup final, and finally beat Koneru Humpy, her childhood idol, to claim the title.
Divya Deshmukh's story is more than a record of titles, it's a case study in self-discipline, time management, and the power of balance. She has shown that you can be a top student and a world-class competitor, that education and excellence don't have to exist in separate lanes.
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