19-year-old Divya Deshmukh is World Chess Champion, WATCH Winning Moment

The win also secured Divya Deshmukh the title of Grandmaster in Chess. Divya was crowned the World Junior Chess Champion in the girls section in 2024 and had played a key role in securing gold for the Indian team at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest.

Batumi (Georgia): Divya Deshmukh clinched the FIDE Women’s World Cup title in dramatic fashion after defeating World Number 5 Koneru Humpy in a thrilling tiebreak decider on Monday, July 28. Following the match, Divya broke down into tears and hugged her mother. “I need time to process it [the win]. I think it is is fate that I got the grandmaster title this way. There's a lot more to achieve. I hope this is just the beginning,” she said in the post-match interview.

A product of the new generation, Divya has risen rapidly in the chess world and is seen as one of the brightest young minds in the sport. Divya was crowned the World Junior Chess Champion in the girls section in 2024 and had played a pivotal role in securing gold for the Indian team at the recent Chess Olympiad in Budapest. She had also clinched the individual gold.

India's Koneru Humpy and Divya Deshmukh entered the final, defeating their Chinese opponents to set up the title clash.Divya Deshmukh defeated her Chinese opponent Tan Zhongyi 1.5-0.5 in the semis, whereas Koneru Humpy won against Lei Tingjie by 5-3 margin. Humpy's first game with Lei Tingjie ended in a draw at 0.5-0.5 each, and so did the other semifinal first game between Tan Zhongyi and Divya. On the other hand, in the bronze medal match, China's Tan Zhongy defeated her opponent, Lei Tingjie, also from China, 1-0.