Divya Deshmukh Breaks Down After Clinching Historic Chess World Cup Title - Video
Divya Deshmukh became the first Indian woman to clinch the FIDE World Cup title after defeating compatriot Koneru Humpy at Georgia's Batumi.
- Divya Deshmukh became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE World Cup title
- She defeated compatriot Koneru Humpy after a three-day final at Batumi, Georgia
- The title was decided by tiebreaks, with Divya winning 2.5-1.5 in the final stage
Divya Deshmukh became the first Indian woman to clinch the FIDE World Cup title after defeating compatriot Koneru Humpy at Georgia's Batumi on Monday. The final lasted for three days with Divya finally claiming the title via tiebreaks. The victory made Divya eligible to become the fourth woman from India to become a grandmaster. Following two draws on Saturday and Sunday, the first game in the tie-break also ended in a draw. However, Divya produced a brilliant performance to defeat her experienced opponent with a score of 2.5-1.5 in the tiebreaks of the FIDE Women's World Cup Final. Following the victory, Divya was extremely emotional and she broke down in tears before the celebrations started.
Divya Deshmukh 🇮🇳 winner of the World Chess Cup and also now a Grandmaster!pic.twitter.com/UNmgiq33qq
— Chessdom (@chessdom) July 28, 2025
She is only the fourth woman from India to become a Grandmaster, and the 88th overall.
The victory has come at a time when India is riding a wave of success in men's chess, with the likes of world champion D Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi producing good results consistently.
Deshmukh joins Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R Vaishali in the list of women who became Grandmasters in the country.
By virtue of making it to the Women's World Cup final, Deshmukh also secured a spot in next year's Candidates tournament, which will decide who will take on world champion Ju Wenjun of China in the Women's World Championship.
An emotional Deshmukh couldn't hold back her tears following the victory against an opponent twice her age, who fought till the last before losing to the determined youngster.
"I need time to process it (win). I think it was fate, me getting the Grandmaster title this way because before this (tournament) I didn't even have one (GM) norm, and now I am the Grandmaster," she said.
(With PTI inputs)