New Delhi: World Champion Divya Deshmukh held her nerves and rose to the pinnacle as she made history by securing the FIDE Women’s World Cup title.
In the all India final Deshmukh defeated Koneru Humpy to become the 88th Grandmaster of India. With this triumph she also became the youngest woman to claim the title and India’s fourth woman Grandmaster.
The game lasted for three days and was decided in the tie-breaker in which Deshmukh rose to the occasion to deny Humpy, who was favourite to claim the title after her outstanding semifinals victory. The 19-year-old star kept her nerves under control till the very last minute and after the handshake could not hold back her tears.
After that she rushed to meet her mother and hugged her tightly. The heartwarming moment went viral on the internet as she continued sobbing like a child.
Divya’s hug to her mom says everything ❤️#FIDEWorldCup @DivyaDeshmukh05 pic.twitter.com/jeOa6CjNc1
— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 28, 2025
Looking ahead
The victory in the FIDE Women’s World Cup is just the starting of Deshmukh’s journey as she is up to conquer the world in the coming years. She has qualified for the Candidate tournament and will be eying to give a good fight as a challenger to reigning five-time World Chess Champions Ju Wenjun of China.