New Delhi: The lights were bright, the cameras all trained on her, and across the board sat , one of India’s greatest chess players and a legend of the women’s chess circuit. For most youngsters, simply sitting across Humpy in the finals of a World Cup would be a “life-defining” experience; But Divya Deshmukh wanted much more. And on 28 July, the 19-year-old from Nagpur got it in Batumi, Georgia.
After an intense match that went on for 5 hours and included two sets of rapid tiebreaks, Divya Deshmukh won the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup with a 1.5-0.5 score against Humpy.
This wasn’t merely another milestone for Divya. This was history. With this win, Divya became India’s newest Grandmaster, the fourth Indian woman to have ever achieved that most sought-after title in chess.
The magnitude of the moment was not lost on her. Even before Humpy extended her hand for a resignation, Divya let out a huge sigh, pushed back her chair, and embraced her.
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The day she outplayed a legend
The final between Divya and Humpy had all the drama one could expect from two of India’s finest chess players. Both classical games were drawn, and the title got decided over rapid tiebreaks—two games of 15 minutes, plus a 10-second increment per move.
For Divya, ranked only eighteenth in the field, this was new territory. For Humpy, the reigning Women’s World Rapid Champion and a seasoned competitor in high-stakes matches, it was just another day at the office. Yet, Divya’s fearless attitude was shining through from the opening moves.
In the first rapid game, playing white, Divya missed a golden opportunity to push for a win after Humpy blundered in time trouble. Despite the miss, she held steady to secure a draw.
“That was a big chance, but she didn’t let it affect her,” said five‑time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, who was part of the official broadcast team.
In the second game, holding the black pieces, Divya was in her element. Humpy chose the Catalan Opening, a book line she has studied for ages, but Divya replied with an ambitious pawn sacrifice variation that is becoming increasingly popular. It worked well for Divya. By the middle game, Divya had already established a comfortable momentum before Humpy, under time pressure, she overextended herself with an unsound break. Calm and collected, Divya punished the errors and converted her advantage into a win. “Elite-level chess,” said Anand. “She played without fear, and that’s what you need at this level.”
The rise of a star
The Batumi triumph is the biggest in her career so far, but it did not arrive suddenly. Considered one of the brightest talents for many years, she has consistently made her way through the junior and senior ranks. In 2024, she won the World Junior Championship in Ahmedabad, an almost effortless masterstroke of a performance. She had earlier this year become a core member of the Indian women’s team that won the chess Olympiad in a historic first-ever gold in Budapest-the era that signified the rise of women’s chess in India.
But even with these credentials, very few would have imagined that she would actually win the World Cup in a field of 107 players from 46 federations, including 17 of the world’s top 20. Seeded number 18, her road to glory consisted of gritty victories over several higher-rated ranks, ending up with a decisive victory against Humpy, whom she had always idolised.
A big moment for Indian chess
Divya’s triumph is but one aspect in the grander narrative of the rise of Indian women in global chess. This year at the World Cup, four Indians had surpassed expectations to enter the quarter-finals, making a strong statement that India is fast becoming a powerhouse in the women’s chess world.
This win adds to the rising list of Indian front-runners and makes Divya one of the few Indian women to possess a Grandmaster title, alongside Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and Vaishali Rameshbabu.
What next for Divya?
Beyond the prize money of $50,000 that accompanies the World Cup title, she has also bagged an entry into the 2026 Candidates Tournament, the last qualification before the Women’s World Championship. This is a path of great hardship, but her World Cup run evidenced that Divya comes out stronger under pressure.
For now, she is enjoying her moment in the sun with hugs, applause, and a barrage of congratulatory messages flooding her phone. To quote Divya herself, “This is just the start.”
If this is what a beginning feels like, the future of Indian chess just got a whole lot brighter.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)