
India is making its mark across the chess world like a formidable colossus. Our male chess players have already proved that they are the best in the world. Recently, it was the turn of the women, and they too did it in style. On Monday, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh crowned herself the new queen of international women’s chess when she edged out the highly reputed Koneru Humpy in a tension-filled tie-breaker of the FIDE Women’s World Cup final held in Georgia.
For the first time, two Indian women were playing against each other in the final match. This has never happened, and in itself, it speaks volumes about the rise of India in this game. The legendary Vishwanathan Anand congratulated both players for their excellent performances and said that it was a day to celebrate India’s women chess players.
Indeed, both men and women players have now become the dominant force in the world. Consider this: India’s Gukesh Dommaraju is the present world chess champion. Divya Deshmukh is the women’s World Cup champion. The Indian men’s team is the world team champion and the women’s team is the Chess Olympiad champion. Among the world’s top ten players, four are Indians. It can’t get any better than this.
First-ever Indian
The Nagpur lass Divya Deshmukh has become the first-ever Indian to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, marking a historic milestone in Indian chess. Even as Indian chess had plenty to cheer about with the likes of Dommaraju Gukesh, Arjun Erigaisi, Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa, and Aravindh Chithambram, to name a few among the men, Indian women’s chess for a long time rejoiced only on the exploits of the legendary Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika. But now we have a new queen.
In the final of the World Cup, Divya’s rival was the vastly experienced Koneru Humpy. The seasoned Andhra player knows how to handle pressure and has won many titles at the world level. For 19-year-old Divya to defeat 38-year-old Humpy was an astounding feat.
With this victory, Divya has become the fourth Indian woman to earn the title of Grandmaster, following in the footsteps of Koneru Humpy, Harika Dronavalli, and Vaishali Rameshbabu.
Dramatic final game
The dramatic final held in Georgia saw the first two classical games ending in draws. That led to a tie-breaker to determine the champion. In the first rapid tie-breaker, Divya played with the white pieces, and Humpy held her to a draw with black. In the second rapid game, Divya, playing with black, defeated the reigning Rapid World Champion Humpy, thereby clinching the prestigious title.
After the victory, Divya broke down in tears and was visibly emotional. She was joined by her mother, and during her post-match interview, Divya kept it short, revealing that she needed to process the moment. “I need time to process this development. I think it was fate, my getting the Grandmaster title this way, because before this tournament, I didn’t even have one single GM norm. But now I have become a holder of the Grandmaster title,” she said.
By reaching the final, both Divya and Humpy have secured their spots in the FIDE Candidates Tournament 2026, which will determine the challenger for the Women’s World Championship match.
Humpy also deserves credit
But credit must also go to Humpy for her outstanding display. The fact that she is now a mother and has to care for a toddler did not affect her preparations or her sharpness of mind. It did not slow her down at all. Koneru Humpy just proved that she is still capable of engineering comebacks.
Humpy had her moments of glory. She made history by becoming the first Indian woman to reach the semifinals of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup. Her well-planned game against China’s Song Yuxin secured India a coveted spot in the Candidates Tournament. The world championship is beckoning to Divya, and if she works hard, there is no reason why she cannot lift that trophy too.
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