19-year-old Divya Deshmukh hugged her mother right after she created history by winning the 2025 FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup.
The FIDE Women’s World Cup championship was held in Batumi, Georgia.
She defeated Grandmaster Koneru Humpy in the final, becoming the first Indian woman to lift this title.
The final match went into rapid tie-breaks after both classical games ended in draws.
Earlier rounds saw Divya defeat China’s Zhu Jiner and overcome grandmaster Dronavalli Harika in a tight tie-break in the quarter-finals.
In the semifinals she defeated former world champion Tan Zhongyi, which also earned her a Grandmaster title and qualification for the 2026 Women’s Candidates Tournament.
