19-year-old Divya Deshmukh scripted history on Monday as she became the FIDE Women’s World Cup champion by defeating the veteran Koneru Humpy in the final via the tiebreaks. After her win, the youngster was overwhelmed with emotions as she struggled to control her tears as the magnitude of her feat dawned on her.
As soon as she composed herself, she found her mother and hugged her before the tears started flowing again. It was a heartwarming moment and showed what it means for the family. She composed herself, supported by her mother as she got ready for the post-match interviews.
The victory for the Nagpur player came after the two classical games played on Saturday and Sunday ended in draws.
19-year-old Divya Deshmukh is in tears after winning the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup! pic.twitter.com/DuFYH0bqT5
— chess24 (@chess24com) July 28, 2025
Divya winning the Women’s World Cup also makes her eligible to be India’s fourth woman to become a grandmaster, which is significant because before the event started she had none of the three norms required to become a grandmaster.
In the time-controlled tie-breaker on Monday, Divya, playing with white, was again held to a draw.
But in the reverse game, where she had black pieces, she managed to overcome the two-time world rapid champion 2.5-1.5.
“I think it was fate, me getting the grandmaster title this way,” an emotional Divya said right after her win. “Before the tournament, I didn’t even have one norm. I was thinking that I could maybe earn a grandmaster norm here. And at the end, I became a grandmaster.” One of Divya’s first reactions after winning the title was: “I definitely need to learn endgames.”
Divya’s hug to her mom says everything ❤️#FIDEWorldCup @DivyaDeshmukh05 pic.twitter.com/jeOa6CjNc1
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 28, 2025
The first two classical games between Humpy and Divya had ended in draws. The first game, which was played on Saturday, was where Divya had the best chances to win, while playing with white pieces. She came with a plan and got a sizeable advantage on the board. But then at the end, she scuffed her lines and allowed Humpy to equalise.
Divya had said that that draw had “felt like a loss” to her. “I had seen everything (beforehand). So I was disappointed by that,” she said.
Humpy too had agreed that Divya was “clearly better” after 12 moves. “After that move, I’m not sure what was going on, but it was very complicated,” Humpy admitted.
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