Batumi (Georgia): Congratulatory messages started to flow in as soon as 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh beat 38-year-old Koneru Humpy in an all-Indian final to become the first Indian champion of the FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup at Batumi in Georgia on Monday evening.
Among those who congratulated Divya was Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“A historic final featuring two outstanding Indian chess players! Proud of the young Divya Deshmukh on becoming FIDE Women’s World Chess Champion 2025. Congratulations to her for this remarkable feat, which will inspire several youngsters,” the PM posted on X.
“Koneru Humpy has also displayed immense prowess throughout the championship. Best wishes to both players for their future endeavours,” he added.
Divya was in tears after her win and took some time to digest the moment before leaving her chair and go to her mother, who was nearby. The two hugged. Tears of joy rolled down Divya’s cheeks as her mother tried to calm her down.
Divya then headed for her post-match interview and was once again overcome by emotions. This showed how important the win was. With this victory, Divya has become India’s 88th Grandmaster, a title she had been trying to bag for quite sometime.
Indian chess legend Viswanathan Anand also took to X to congratulate Divya for her win. He also had a special mention for Humpy.
“Congratulations to @Divyadeshmukh05 on winning the World Cup. Becoming GM and a spot in the candidates. Amazing battle of nerves. @humpy_koneru played a very good event and showed a commendable fighting spirit . The great champion she is! It was a great celebration of Indian chess, particularly Women’s chess”, he wrote.
The final began with both classical games on Saturday and Sunday ending in draws. Then in the tie-breaks, Divya won 1.5-0.5. The first Rapid game ended in a draw, and in the next, Divya bagged a stunning win with the Black pieces to take the title. She had already booked a berth at the Candidates Tournament by qualifying for the finals.
“I need time to process it. I think it was fate, me getting the Grandmaster title this way because before this (tournament) I didn’t even have one (GM) norm, and now I am the Grandmaster,” Divya said during the presser.