India’s Divya Deshmukh during the Women’s World Cup final against compatriot Koneru Humpy on Monday. (FIDE)

Divya Deshmukh, 19, won the FIDE Women’s World Cup by defeating Koneru Humpy, becoming India’s fourth chess Grandmaster, in Batumi, Georgia. The 19-year-old capped her remarkable run to the final by winning with the black pieces in the second rapid game, after the first game ended in a draw. The final went to a tie-break after both classical games were drawn.

After the first rapid tie-break game was also drawn, Divya capitalised on a late mistake made by her 38-year-old opponent, Humpy, who is the reigning world rapid champion, to emerge victorious. The error occurred on Humpy’s 54th move, and Divya, seizing the opportunity, did not let it slip away. With this victory, Divya becomes the fourth Indian player to earn the Grandmaster title, joining Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and R. Vaishali. Both Divya and Humpy, having reached the final, have already qualified for the Candidates tournament, where the winner will challenge the reigning women’s world champion, China’s Ju Wenjun.

Divya’s outstanding achievement adds to the accolades of India’s young chess prodigies, coming shortly after D. Gukesh won the FIDE World Championship in Singapore at the age of 18.

“I need time to process this,” said an emotional Divya in an interview just minutes after her victory. “It feels like fate that I achieved my GM title this way, as I had only one norm. This means a lot to me, but there is still much more to achieve. This is just the beginning.”

In 2023, she won the Asian Continental Women’s title and, despite being a last-minute replacement and the lowest seed, claimed the top position in the Tata Steel Women’s Rapid section, finishing ahead of the reigning world champion, Ju Wenjun. In 2024, she won the World U-20 Girls Chess Championship, remaining unbeaten and finishing in sole first place with a score of 10/11 points.