Divya Deshmukh

{{Short description|Indian chess grandmaster (born 2005)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2025}} {{Infobox chess player | name = Divya Deshmukh | image = Divya Deshmukh in 2025.jpg | caption = Deshmukh in 2025 | country = {{IND}} | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|2005|12|09|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ratings.fide.com/profile/35006916 |title=Divya Deshmukh FIDE profile|access-date= 8 December 2020}}</ref> | birth_place = Nagpur, Maharashtra, India | title = Grandmaster (2025) | peakrating = 2510  (April 2026) | FideID = 35006916 }} '''Divya Deshmukh''' (born 9 December 2005) is an Indian chess grandmaster.<ref>{{cite web |title=Koneru Humpy vs Divya Deshmukh, Women's Chess World Cup Final Highlights: Divya Deshmukh crowned champion, becomes India's 88th GM |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/koneru-humpy-vs-divya-deshmukh-fide-womens-chess-world-cup-final-2025-tie-break-today-live-updates-live-streaming-online/liveblog/122949478.cms |website=timesofindia |date=28 July 2025 }}</ref> She has won two gold medals and one bronze medal at the Women's Chess Olympiad. Deshmukh won the Women's Chess World Cup 2025 and qualified for the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026. She has also won golds at the Asian Championship, the World Junior Championship and the World Youth Championship.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Raghavan |first=R. Srinivasa |date=2024-06-20 |title=Divya Deshmukh, India's new chess star, looks set to checkmate the world |url=https://thefederal.com/category/sports/divya-deshmukh-indias-new-chess-star-looks-set-to-checkmate-the-world-128488 |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=thefederal.com |language=en}}</ref> She won the women's edition of National Premier Chess Championship in both 2021 and 2022 consecutively.<ref>{{cite web |date=2026-03-07 |title=Divya Deshmukh: Profile, Rating & Career |url=https://blog.shatranj.live/divya-deshmukh-player-profile |access-date=2026-03-07 |publisher=Shatranj Live}}</ref>

== Early life == Deshmukh was born in Nagpur to a Marathi family.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Meet Divya Deshmukh: All You Need To Know About Indian Chess Player Who Faced Sexism From Fans – In Pics |url=https://zeenews.india.com/photos/sports/meet-divya-deshmukh-all-you-need-to-know-about-indian-chess-player-who-faced-sexism-from-fans-in-pics-2716601 |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=Zee News |language=en}}</ref> Her parents Namrata and Jitendra Deshmukh are both doctors.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news |date=2024-06-14 |title=Nagpur's queen India's pride: Divya Deshmukh is world junior chess champion |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/nagpurs-queen-indias-pride-divya-deshmukh-is-world-junior-chess-champion/articleshow/110978256.cms |access-date=2024-06-20 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> She has an elder sister.<ref>https://www.thehitavada.com/Encyc/2020/4/18/How-Dad-s-hobby-made-Divya.html</ref> She studied at Bhavan's Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir during her schooling days.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Shekhawat |first=Meemansa |title=Meet Divya Deshmukh, grandmaster who helped India clinch gold medal at Budapest Chess Olympiad at age of... |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/sports/photo-gallery-meet-divya-deshmukh-grandmaster-who-helped-india-clinch-gold-medal-at-budapest-chess-olympiad-at-age-of-18-3109551/achievements-3109554 |access-date=2024-12-24 |website=DNA India |language=en}}</ref>

==Career== Deshmukh won the 2013 National Under-9 Girls' Championship in Chennai.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nihal and Divya Won National Under – 9 Chess Championships – All India Chess Federation |url=https://aicf.in/nihal-and-divya-won-national-under-9-chess-championships/ |website=aicf.in |access-date=20 January 2026}}</ref>

===2020–2023: Early rise=== In 2020, Deshmukh was part of the gold medal-winning Indian team at the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad.<ref name=":3" /> In 2022, she won the National Women's Chess Championship.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/arjun-erigaisi-divya-deshmukh-clinch-indian-national-championships |title=Arjun Erigaisi, Divya Deshmukh Clinch Indian National Championships | first=Niranjan | last=Navalgund | publisher=chess.com | date=5 March 2022 | accessdate=10 July 2022}}</ref> She won an individual bronze medal at the 2022 Women's Chess Olympiad.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2024-06-14 |title=Who is Divya Deshmukh? Nagpur chess prodigy bags World U-20 Chess Championship title – CNBC TV18 |url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/sports/who-is-divya-deshmukh-nagpur-chess-prodigy-bags-world-u-20-chess-championship-title-19428189.htm |access-date=2024-06-20 |website=CNBCTV18 |language=en}}</ref>

In 2023, Deshmukh won the Asian Continental Women.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ahmed |first=Shahid |date=2023-06-12 |title=Divya Deshmukh Golden, Silver for Mary Ann Gomes at Asian Continental Women 2023 - ChessBase India |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/Asian-Continental-2023-Round-9-report |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Chessbase India}}</ref> She came first in the Tata Steel Chess India Women's Rapid, despite being the lowest-rated player in the field. During the tournament, she defeated Harika Dronavalli, Vantika Agrawal, Koneru Humpy, Savitha Shri B, Irina Krush, and Nino Batsiashvili. She also drew against World Champion Ju Wenjun and Anna Ushenina, and suffered her only loss to Polina Shuvalova.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Colodro |first=Carlos Alberto |date=2023-09-03 |title=Divya wins Tata Steel Rapid with splendid performance |url=https://en.chessbase.com/post/tata-steel-india-2023-d3 |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=ChessBase |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Saravanan |first=Venkatachalam |date=2023-09-02 |title=Tata Steel Chess India Women's Rapid: Divya Deshmukh Triumphs |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/2023-tata-steel-chess-india-womens-day-3-rapid |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Chess.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

===2024: Olympiad double gold=== In January 2024 Deshmukh played, in the Challengers-section, in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2024. In May, Deshmukh was the winner of Sharjah Challengers, a large open tournament win that earned her a spot in the Sharjah Masters the following year.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Ahmed |first1=Shahid |title=Divya Deshmukh wins Sharjah Challengers 2024 |url=https://www.chessbase.in/news/7th-Sharjah-Masters-2024-Round-9-report |website=ChessBase India |date=23 May 2024 |access-date=23 June 2024}}</ref> In June, she became the 2024 World U20 Chess Champion. She became the fourth Indian to win the title after Humpy Koneru in 2001, Harika Dronavalli in 2008, and Soumya Swaminathan in 2009.<ref name=":0" /> Needing a win in the final round, she was the victor against Bulgaria’s third seed Beloslava Krasteva in a five-hour marathon battle to secure 10 points and won the gold.<ref name=":1" />

She helped team India win the gold medal at the 45th Chess Olympiad, scoring 9.5/11 on Board 3 with a performance rating of 2608. She also earned an individual gold medal for the best performance on her board.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burtasova |first=Anna |date=2024-09-22 |title=India triumphs at 45th Chess Olympiad, winning both Open and Women's competitions |url=https://www.fide.com/news/3228 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240922173307/https://www.fide.com/news/3228 |archive-date=2024-09-22 |access-date=2024-09-22 |website=fide.com |language=en}}</ref>

===2025: World Cup and Grandmaster title=== In January 2025 Deshmukh played, in the Challengers-section, in the Tata Steel Chess Tournament 2025. In June, she played for the Hexamind Chess Club at the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championships held in London. In the blitz semifinals she defeated women’s world no. 1 Hou Yifan in a 74-move rook-vs-bishop endgame, marking her first-ever victory over the Chinese grandmaster. This was one of her 6 wins across 8 blitz games, earning her a performance rating of 2606 and the team's bronze medal finish in the blitz event. The team also won the silver in the rapid section due to her performance scoring 8 out of 12 points with a performance rating of 2420. Deshmukh also won an individual bronze.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-06-17 |title=Nagpur's Divya Stuns China's World Women No.1 Hou Yifan |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/nagpurs-divya-stuns-chinas-world-women-no-1-hou-yifan/articleshow/121893890.cms |access-date=2025-07-28 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>

Deshmukh was seeded 15th in the Women's Chess World Cup 2025. She defeated 2nd seed Zhu Jiner in the fourth round, 10th seed Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals, and 3rd seed Tan Zhongyi in the semifinals.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.espn.com/chess/story/_/id/45805183/teenager-divya-deshmukh-reach-chess-world-cup-final-first-indian |title=Teenager Divya Deshmukh slays nerves and seeded players to reach first Chess World Cup final |author=Aaditya Narayan |website=ESPN |date=24 July 2025}}</ref> In the final, she defeated 4th seed Koneru Humpy in tiebreaks to win the tournament.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-07-28 |title=Chess {{!}} Historic! 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh crowned FIDE Women's World Cup champion, becomes India's 88th GM |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/chess-historic-19-year-old-divya-deshmukh-crowned-fide-womens-world-cup-champion-becomes-indias-88th-gm/articleshow/122952287.cms |access-date=2025-07-28 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> With this win, she earned the grandmaster title, which is directly awarded to the winner of the World Cup without requiring the usual three norms. She became India's 88th grandmaster and the fourth Indian woman to become a grandmaster.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-07-28 |title=At 19, Divya Deshmukh becomes Women's World Cup champion and India's 4th woman to be GM by defeating Koneru Humpy |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/sports/chess/divya-deshmukh-koneru-humpy-women-world-cup-champion-grandmaster-10154555/ |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Kumar |first=P. K. Ajith |date=2025-07-28 |title=FIDE Women's World Cup: Divya Deshmukh is the first Indian woman champion, becomes Grandmaster |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/fide-womens-world-cup-divya-deshmukh-beats-koneru-humpy-in-tiebreaker-becomes-grandmaster/article69865003.ece |access-date=2025-07-28 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref> Additionally, she qualified for the Women's Candidates Tournament 2026.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Levin |first=Anthony |date=2025-07-28 |title=2025 Women's World Cup Final Tiebreaks: Divya Wins Women's World Cup, Earns Grandmaster Title |url=https://www.chess.com/news/view/divya-wins-2025-fide-womens-world-cup-final-tiebreaks |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Chess.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Deshmukh participated in the open section of FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 as the 115th seed of 116 players.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/fide-grand-swiss-chess-divya-deshmukh-needs-special-power-to-make-a-mark/articleshow/123690970.cms|title=FIDE Grand Swiss Chess: Divya Deshmukh needs special power to make a mark|author=Amit Karmakar |website=The Times of India }}</ref> She finished 81st with a score of 5/11 (+2-3=6), winning games against Bassem Amin and Velimir Ivić. She drew the reigning World Chess Champion Gukesh Dommaraju in round 8.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://s2.chess-results.com/tnr1246285.aspx?lan=1&art=9&fed=IND&turdet=YES&flag=30&snr=115&SNode=S0 |title=FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament 2025 Open |website=chess-results.com}}</ref>

Divya played for Cercle d'échecs de Monte-Carlo team in the European Chess Club Cup, the team won gold medal and she won the gold medal for board 2 with the score 4.5/6.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://s3.chess-results.com/tnr1250660.aspx?lan=1&art=20&turdet=YES&flag=30&snr=1&SNode=S0 |title=29th club cup for women}}</ref>

Deshmukh was given a presidential nominee for the Chess World Cup 2025, She was elimanated in the first round by GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis.

===2026: Candidates === Deshmukh participated in Challenger section of 2026 Prague International Chess Festival. She finished 3rd with two wins and one loss.

Deshmukh participated in Women's Candidates Tournament 2026, She was tied for 1st with four other players after 8 rounds, but lost 4 and drew 2 of the remaining 6 games finishing 7th with the score 5.5/14.

==Performance record== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; background:white; color:black" |+ Women's Chess World Cup 2025<ref name="FIDE Women’s World Cup: Divya Deshmukh is the first Indian woman champion, becomes Grandmaster">{{cite news |last1= |first1= |title=FIDE Women's World Cup: Divya Deshmukh is the first Indian woman champion, becomes Grandmaster |url=https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/fide-womens-world-cup-divya-deshmukh-beats-koneru-humpy-in-tiebreaker-becomes-grandmaster/article69865003.ece |accessdate=29 July 2025 |work=The Hindu |date=28 July 2025 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20250729162844/https://www.thehindu.com/sport/other-sports/fide-womens-world-cup-divya-deshmukh-beats-koneru-humpy-in-tiebreaker-becomes-grandmaster/article69865003.ece |archivedate=29 July 2025 |language=en-IN}}</ref> ! Seed ! Name ! Game 1 ! Game 2 ! Tiebreaker 1 ! Tiebreaker 2 ! Total |- align=center | 15 | align=left | '''{{flagicon|IND}} Divya Deshmukh''' | style="background:white; color:black" |½ | style="background:black; color:white" |½ | style="background:white; color:black" |½ | style="background:black; color:white" |1 | '''2½''' |- align=center | 4 | align=left |{{flagicon|IND}} Humpy Koneru | style="background:black; color:white" |½ | style="background:white; color:black" |½ | style="background:black; color:white" |½ | style="background:white; color:black" |0 | 1½ |}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == {{Commons category}} * {{FIDE}} * {{Chess.com player|divya-deshmukh|member=DivyaDeshmukh23}} * {{365Chess.com player|Deshmukh_Divya}}

{{S-start}} {{S-ach}} {{Succession box | title = Women's Asian Chess Champion | years = 2023–2025 | before = P. V. Nandhidhaa | after = Song Yuxin }} {{succession box | before = Bhakti Kulkarni | after = Padmini Rout | title = Indian Women's Chess Champion | years = 2022 }} {{S-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deshmukh, Divya}} Category:2005 births Category:Living people Category:Marathi people Category:Chess Woman Grandmasters Category:Indian female chess players Category:Chess Grandmasters Category:Chess Olympiad competitors Category:Sportspeople from Nagpur Category:World Youth Chess Champions Category:21st-century Indian chess players Category:21st-century Indian sportswomen Category:World Junior Chess Champions Category:Female chess grandmasters