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Divya Deshmukh Becomes FIDE Women’s World Cup Champion, Makes History for Indian Chess

Prime Highlights

  • Divya Deshmukh defeated Koneru Humpy in a lightning tiebreak victory at the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup.
  • She was just 19 years old when she became India’s 88th Grandmaster and the third-ever Women’s World Cup champion.

Key Facts

  • She won a $50,000 award and a place in the 2026 Candidates Tournament.
  • Runner-up Koneru Humpy collected a $35,000 bonus.

Key Background

Nagpur’s 19- time-old International Master Divya Deshmukh came the first Indian and woman to negotiate this after taking home the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. Divya played fellow Indian Grandmaster Koneru Humpy in the title clash and the two classical games ended in a stalemate. Divya’s calmness and politic wit champed the nippy tiebreaks and claimed a 1.5 – 0.5 palm.

This victory made her the third lady to be announced as the Women’s World Champion prior to legends Alexandra Kosteniuk and Aleksandra Goryachkina. It was closer to becoming the 88th overall Indian Grandmaster and Kuldeep’s fourth Indian woman by completing the three norms and rating of 2500 in a conventional method.

Divya’s journey through the tournament was a masterclass in depth of mind and strength of strategy. She beat grueling resistance from China’s Zhu Jiner, champion Tan Zhongyi, and India’s Harika Dronavalli. All her games were a display of her mature thinking and ability to deliver under pressure—winning respect from the chess fraternity of the world.

Winning was emotionally more for Divya, and the entire credit went to her family and team, whom she called her pillars of strength during the entire journey. Divya has embraced her mother after victory and stated that it is just the start of what she is going to achieve with chess. Her coach equated cool head under pressure to that cricket legend MS Dhoni.

Congratulations poured in from each over the world when she was complimented on giving birth to a star. Chess legends similar as Susan Polgar and Judit Polgar appreciated her achievement, while Indian President and Prime Minister transferred their particular dispatches of congratulations. Divya’s palm is a corner for the emergence of Indian chess, particularly the new generation women’s platoon, an period of light for India encyclopedically.