Latest news with #Women'sWorldCupChampion
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Divya Deshmukh cries with tears of joy in her mother's arms after defeating Konery Humpy to win Women's Chess World Cup
Divya Deshmukh broke down in tears, and couldn't believe that she defeated Koneru Humpy in the tiebreaks to become the FIDE Women's World Cup Champion 2025. The 19-year-old also became India's 88th Grandmaster. She defeated Humpy in an all-Indian final, which went to tie-breaks and Divya won 1.5-0.5. The final began with both classical games on Saturday and Sunday ending in draws. Divya Deshmukh was visibly emotional. The first Rapid game ended in a draw and in the next, Divya rose to the occation, bagging a sensational win with the Black pieces to win the match. She has also qualified for the Candidates Tournament by entering the finals, and also became the first Indian to win the FIDE Women's World Cup, which also directly go her the Grandmaster title as a result. In the winning moment, she broke down in tears and was visibly emotional. She was joined by her mother, and during her post-match interview, she kept it short, revealing that she needed to process the moment. 'I need time to process it (win). I think it was fate, me getting the Grandmaster title this way because before this (tournament) I didn't even have one (GM) norm, and now I am the Grandmaster', she said. Full video of Divya Deshmukh, after defeating Koneru Humpy: The win comes at a time when India are cementing their domination in chess, with the likes of D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Erigaisi hogging the spotlight. She joins Humpy, R Vaishali and Dronavalli Harka in the list of women's Grandmasters in India. During her career, she has won multiple golds at the World Junior C'ships, Asian Championship and also the World Youth C'ship. She is a native from Nagpur and is one of the leading personalities of chess in India.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
Who is Divya Deshmukh? Meet the first Indian woman to win FIDE Women's World Cup Champion title
India has a new chess queen! Divya Deshmukh, the teenage sensation from Nagpur, created history by becoming the FIDE Women's World Cup Champion 2025. With this grand win, she has become the first Indian woman ever to win this prestigious title, marking a monumental moment for Indian chess on the global stage. In a nail-biting final held in Batumi, Georgia, Divya Deshmukh faced off against Indian chess legend Koneru Humpy, who is also a world chess champion in rapid format. After both classical games ended in tense draws, the match went into the tie-break rounds. The turning point came in the second rapid tie-break game, where Divya took full advantage of a small mistake made by the 38-year-old Humpy in the 54th move. With nerves of steel and sharp tactical play, the 19-year-old sealed her victory and couldn't hold back her tears. This triumph made her the FIDE Women's World Cup champion, a title every chess player dreams of. Divya Becomes India's 88th Grandmaster and 4th Woman GM 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐲𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐮𝐤𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐲 𝐊𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐅𝐈𝐃𝐄 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧'𝐬 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐩 🏆.#FIDEWorldCup | #DivyaDeshmukh | #HumpyKoneru Thanks to this incredible performance, Divya Deshmukh has also earned the title of Grandmaster, becoming India's 88th GM and only the fourth Indian woman to achieve this feat. She now stands alongside other iconic Indian women Grandmasters like Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and R Vaishali. With her finals appearance, Divya has also qualified for the Women's Candidates Tournament, where the winner gets a chance to challenge reigning women's world chess champion, Ju Wenjun of China. Early Life and Education of Divya Deshmukh Born on 9 December 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra, Divya was raised in an academically driven household. Her parents, Dr. Jitendra and Dr. Namratha Deshmukh, both medical professionals, always encouraged a balanced lifestyle filled with discipline and ambition. Divya studied at Bhavans Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir, a respected CBSE school in Nagpur. She showed an early love for chess, and by the age of 10, she was already representing India in global age-group competitions. Despite a busy travel schedule, she never let her studies fall behind and consistently performed well in school. Balancing Chess with Academics Unlike many young prodigies who abandon formal education, Divya chose to continue her learning journey. After completing Class 12 with distinction, she opted for distance education to focus on her growing chess career. As of 2025, she is pursuing online courses in sports psychology, performance science, and data analytics in chess, proving that her learning spirit goes beyond the 64 squares of a chessboard. She believes this knowledge will give her a psychological edge and a deeper understanding of the game. Divya Deshmukh's Impressive Chess Career So Far Over the past few years, Divya Deshmukh has made headlines with her consistent performances: In 2023, she won the Asian Continental Women's Championship. At the Tata Steel Women's Rapid Chess 2023, she stunned everyone by finishing ahead of the reigning world chess champion Ju Wenjun, despite entering as a last-minute replacement and the lowest seed. In 2024, Divya dominated the World U-20 Girls Chess Championship, finishing undefeated and claiming first place with a near-perfect score of 10/11. These accomplishments are a clear sign that Divya Deshmukh is not just a one-time wonder but a long-term force in global chess. Divya Deshmukh, India's Brightest Chess Star With her victory at the FIDE Women's World Cup, Divya Deshmukh has become a symbol of the new generation of Indian chess – fearless, focused, and fiercely talented. Her journey from a young girl with a chessboard to the world's chess champion is truly inspirational. As the world now turns its eyes towards her next move, Divya remains grounded, committed to growing both as a chess player and a student of the game. Whether it's a chess piece or a course module, she handles both with equal grace and intelligence. Divya Deshmukh, the FIDE Women's World Cup Champion, has proven that age is no barrier to success when there is passion, discipline, and sheer dedication. By defeating the experienced Koneru Humpy, she has opened a new chapter in India's chess legacy. With her Grandmaster title, academic pursuits, and rising fame, Divya is now the face of modern Indian chess. She is not just a champion of the present but a promise for the future. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral, follow Indiatimes Trending.
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Divya Deshmukh education qualifications: From Nagpur school desks to becoming India's fourth woman chess grandmaster
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. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
News18
4 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Who Is Divya Deshmukh? The First Indian Woman To Win FIDE Women's World Cup
Last Updated: All you need to know about Divya Deshmukh, India's latest Grand Master. Nineteen-year-old Divya Deshmukh beat higher-ranked Koneru Humpy in tiebreaks to become the FIDE Women's World Cup Champion 2025, the first Indian to do so. With the win, she also directly secured the title of Grandmaster, becoming just the 88th from India to get there. In the all-Indian Finals, which went to tiebreaks after a hard-graft on Sunday (July 27), Divya defeated Humpy 1.5-0.5. The first Rapid game ended in a draw, and Divya secured a brilliant win with the Black pieces to win the match. She's also the youngest to win the FIDE Women's World Cup. 'I think it was fate me getting the grandmaster title this way because before this I didn't even have one norm. Before this tournament I was thinking, where can I get a norm, and now I'm a grandmaster!" Divya said afterwards. Both Divya and Humpy have qualified for the Candidates. Divya, 19, already held the titles of Woman Grandmaster (WGM) and International Master (IM). She hails from Nagpur, Maharashtra and was born into a Marathi family. Her parents, Jitendra and Namratha Deshmukh, are doctors. She attended Bhavans Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir for her early education and began playing chess at a young age, quickly advancing through the ranks in Indian chess Divya won the 2022 Women's Indian Chess Championship and was crowned India's 21st Woman Grandmaster in 2021. She helped India win the gold medal at the 2020 FIDE Online Olympiad and earned a bronze medal for herself at the 2022 Chess Olympiad. Divya defeated elite players like Harika Dronavalli and Koneru Humpy to win the Asian Women's Chess Championship and the women's quick division of the Tata Steel India Chess Tournament in 2023. Her victories at the Sharjah Challengers in May 2024 and the FIDE World U20 Girls Championship in June made her just the fourth Indian to earn this title. She won the last round handily and finished with an outstanding score of 10/11. At the 2025 World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships in London, she defeated world No. 1 Hou Yifan in a thrilling 74-move game. view comments First Published: July 28, 2025, 16:06 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
