19-yr-old Divya Deshmukh beats Koneru Humpy, lifts Women World Cup title; Wishes pour in for becoming Grandmaster

Chennai: In the game of 64 squares and 32 pieces, Indian women GMs created history by winning the gold and silver, with Divya DeshMukh annexing the World Cup title defeating her compatriot Koneru Humpy in a tense tie-breaker at Batumi, Georgia.

At the age of 19, Divya is the youngest and the first Indian to win this title and was not content with this and expressed her more hunger for success in future.

With the 1-2 finish the two Indian stars--Divya and Humpy--qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, alongside the second and third-place finishers — GM Humpy Koneru and former Women’s World Champion Tan Zhongyi.

With this title triumph, Divya, who turned emotional after edging out Humpy in the third tie-break contest, became third Women’s World Cup Winner and in the process became the women Grand Master.

Divya Deshmukh, the 19-year-old International Master from Nagpur, Maharashtra, etched her name into chess history by defeating Grandmaster Humpy Koneru 1.5–0.5 in the tiebreaks to annexe the Women’s World Cup crown in a tense finish.

She now follows in the footsteps of GM Alexandra Kosteniuk (2021) and GM Aleksandra Goryachkina (2023) as the third-ever winner of this prestigious title.

In the two 15+10 rapid tiebreak games, Divya showed both resilience and composure.

After missing a golden opportunity in the first game, which ended in a draw, she brought elite-level precision to the second. There, she equalised comfortably as Black, then seized control as Humpy slipped under time pressure—clinching the crown in emphatic fashion.

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Divya Deshmukh defeats Humpy Koneru to win the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup #FIDEWorldCup @DivyaDeshmukh05 pic.twitter.com/KzO2MlC0FC

— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 28, 2025 >

With this remarkable win, Divya Deshmukh is now not only the 2025 Women’s World Cup Winner, but also one of the most exciting young stars in the world of chess.

After the final game, an emotional Divya embraced her mother before giving a short interview:

“It’s hard for me to speak now. Of course, this definitely means a lot, but there is a lot more to achieve, so I am hoping that this is just the start,” she said.

With this triumph, Divya not only secured the USD 50,000 first prize, but also automatically earns the Grandmaster (GM) title—the highest title in chess.

In doing so, she becomes one of the very few players in history to achieve it by winning a major FIDE event rather than collecting the usual three GM norms and 2500 rating.

Reflecting on this, Divya shared: “I still need time to process it. I think it was fate, me getting the Grandmaster title this way, because before this I didn’t even have one norm, and now I’m a Grandmaster.”

President Droupadi Murmu, PM Narendra Modi, Chess icon Vishy Anand and Telangana CM A Revanth Reddy congratulated her title triumph and said it augurs well for more emergence of Women GMs in the future.

Taking to X, President Murmu wrote: 

"My heartiest congratulations to Divya Deshmukh who has become the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, that too, at a very young age of nineteen. Koneru Humpy being the runner up, both the finalists of the chess world championship were from India. This underlines the abundance of talent in our country, especially among women. I convey my deep appreciation to Koneru Humpy for sustaining excellence throughout her illustrious career. I am sure that both these women champions will continue to bring greater glories and inspire our youth."

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My heartiest congratulations to Divya Deshmukh who has become the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, that too, at a very young age of nineteen. Koneru Humpy being the runner up, both the finalists of the chess world championship were from India. This underlines…

— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) July 28, 2025 >

In a message shared on X, the Prime Minister wrote, “It’s been a phenomenal day for Indian Chess! Divya Deshmukh has not only won the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup but also become a Grandmaster. Congratulations to her. Her accomplishment will motivate many people and contribute to chess becoming even more popular among the youth.”

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It’s been a phenomenal day for Indian Chess!

Divya Deshmukh has not only won the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup but also become a Grandmaster. Congratulations to her. Her accomplishment will motivate many people and contribute to chess becoming even more popular among the youth.… https://t.co/JOZZ37RLnN

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 28, 2025 >

Her resilience paid off, Anand, five time world title winner, said.

Through Twitter (X), the CM expressed immense pride and hailed the all-Indian final as a moment of brilliance and national celebration. He lauded both Divya Deshmukh and Koneru Humpy for their remarkable journeys in conquering elite global competition to reach the final stage of the tournament.

Calling the achievement “historic,” the Chief Minister noted that this is the first time two Indian women have faced off in the finals of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup, with no Indian ever having reached the semi-finals in the past. He emphasised that the feat is a powerful testament to what women can achieve when provided the right opportunities and encouragement.

Revanth Reddy praised both players for lifting India’s honour on the international stage and wished them continued success, saying their inspiring performance would remain a proud moment in the history of Indian Chess. (Inputs from UNI)