President Droupadi Murmu Applauds Divya Deshmukh On Historic Women’s Chess World Cup Triumph
Nineteen-year-old Divya Deshmukh made history by becoming the first Indian woman to clinch the FIDE Women’s World Cup, defeating Koneru Humpy in the tie-break phase. With this win, she also becomes India’s 88th Grandmaster.
Divya achieved a major milestone on Monday after emerging victorious against Koneru Humpy in the final of the Women’s World Cup. The classical games played over the weekend ended in draws, pushing the contest into tiebreakers.
This win also marked her ascension as the country’s 88th Grandmaster. She joins the elite list of Indian women Grandmasters, following in the footsteps of Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, and R Vaishali.
With both classical rounds ending in stalemates, the tiebreak games on Monday proved decisive. Humpy faltered under pressure, while Divya held her nerves and showed remarkable composure. Her grit and focus led to her victory, earning her the Grandmaster title, which is reserved for the champion of this event.
As soon as the result was confirmed, praise flooded social media platforms. President of India, Droupadi Murmu, shared her congratulations via X (formerly Twitter), celebrating the young champion’s feat.
“My sincere congratulations to Divya Deshmukh, who has become the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, that too at the young age of 19,” President Murmu wrote.
“With Koneru Humpy finishing as the runner-up, both finalists in the World Cup were Indian women. This highlights the wealth of talent in our nation, particularly among women. I also extend my heartfelt appreciation to Koneru Humpy for maintaining excellence over a long and distinguished career. I have no doubt that both of these champions will continue to shine and inspire the younger generation,” she added.
On the final day, it was Divya’s moment of glory, as Humpy again ran into time trouble and made a crucial error in the endgame. Divya capitalized with precision, forcing a winning position. Her relentless play in the first tiebreak wore down her experienced rival, and she sealed the match with confidence in the second.
