At 19, Divya Deshmukh becomes first Indian champion of FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup

New Delhi: Divya Deshmukh is the World Cup winner. She is also India’s latest Grandmaster, only the fourth Indian woman to get that most coveted of titles in chess.

The 19-year-old from Nagpur recorded the greatest moment of her young career when she beat fellow-Indian 38-year-old Koneru Humpy in the tiebreakers of the World Cup final at Batumi, Georgia, on Monday evening (July 28, 2025). Both games in the classical format had been drawn, leading to the shootout in speed chess.

After the opening game was drawn in the tiebreaker, Divya won the second with black pieces, punishing her much-higher rated rival for a few inaccurate moves. While Humpy, the reigning World rapid chess champion, is ranked World No. 5, Divya is seeded only 18th.

This is a stunning performance from the teenager who has been establishing herself as one of the world’s best young players in women’s chess. Last year, she had won the World junior championship in Ahmedabad dominating the field, quite expectedly.

Then she played a key role in India’s historic gold in the Chess Olympiad at Budapest. But, India was the top seed there. At the World Cup, the Indian women exceeded expectations, with four of them making it to the quarterfinals.

Following her success, congratulatory messages started to flow. Among those who congratulated Divya was Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “A historic final featuring two outstanding Indian chess players! Proud of the young Divya Deshmukh on becoming FIDE Women’s World Chess Champion 2025. Congratulations to her for this remarkable feat, which will inspire several youngsters,” the PM posted on X.

Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand also took to X to congratulate Divya for her win. He also had a special mention for Humpy.

“Congratulations to @Divyadeshmukh05 on winning the World Cup. Becoming GM and a spot in the candidates. Amazing battle of nerves. @humpy_koneru played a very good event and showed a commendable fighting spirit. The great champion she is! It was a great celebration of Indian chess, particularly Women’s chess”, he wrote.