Divya Deshmukh wins Women’s Chess World Cup, becomes Grandmaster

It was a big day for Indian chess. On Monday, 18-year-old Divya Deshmukh beat Koneru Humpy in the final of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup. With this win, she became the first Indian woman to win the tournament. She also became the country’s 88th Grandmaster.

Divya Deshmukh held off Koneru Humpy and showed she belongs among the best in the world

The match took place in Batumi, Georgia. After two classical games, the score was tied at 1-1. Both players were calm and careful. Neither of them made a big mistake, so the games ended in draws. The winner had to be decided through tiebreaks.

Tiebreaks are faster games with less time on the clock. In this case, each player had 10 minutes, with 10 extra seconds added after every move. Divya got the white pieces in the first game, which usually gives a small advantage. But that game also ended in a draw. In the second rapid game, things were even for a long time. Humpy looked solid. Then, on move 40, she made a mistake. Divya saw her chance and started to push. Humpy tried to fight back, but the damage was done. She had no way to recover and resigned on move 75. This earned Divya the title and $50,000 as prize money. But more than the money, it showed her strength and cool head under pressure.

Koneru is one of India’s most respected players. She has years of experience and is a former World Rapid Champion. Divya, however, has been rising fast. She had already beaten strong players like Zhu Jiner and D Harika in this tournament. She had also beaten Koneru once before in a rapid match last year.

In the second classical game of the final, Divya had shown strong preparation. Even though Koneru had the white pieces and started with the English Opening, Divya handled the game well. She stayed calm when Humpy tried to attack and slowly made the position equal. The World Cup final was a clear example of how Indian women’s chess is growing. With this win, Divya has made her mark. She’s young, focused, and not afraid of pressure. Indian chess fans have a lot to look forward to.

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