FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup: Divya Deshmukh Defeats Koneru Humpy To Become Grandmaster At 19

Divya Deshmukh, a 19-year-old Indian chess player, scripted history on Monday after she defeated her veteran compatriot, Koneru Humpy, in a tie-breaker to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. 

With this win, Deshmukh has not just earned the prestigious title, but has become a grandmaster, a feat that felt distant when the tournament began. She is the fourth Indian woman to bag this title. 

Her breakthrough came after two tense classical games across Saturday and Sunday ended in hard-fought draws, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown.

When the tiebreakers arrived, nerves were high. Humpy, who has achieved almost every honour aside from the World Cup and Women’s World Championship, found herself on the defensive as pressure took its toll. Deshmukh rose to the occasion, displaying unwavering composure and tactical brilliance, which helped her ultimately clinch her both the trophy and the coveted Grandmaster title, reserved for the tournament champion.

With this landmark triumph, the Nagpur native becomes India’s 88th Grandmaster and joins the elite ranks as just the fourth Indian woman to achieve the honour, following in the footsteps of Koneru Humpy herself, Dronavalli Harika, and R Vaishali. The contrast between generations was stark. While Humpy earned her Grandmaster title in 2002, Deshmukh was only born three years later.

The tie-breaks was a contest of skill and stamina. In the opening game, Deshmukh deployed the Petroff Defense and creatively sacrificed a pawn, keeping Humpy under relentless pressure. Though Humpy managed to equalize with her clock ticking down, a draw seemed inevitable.

In the second game, Humpy shifted to the Catalan opening, but Deshmukh was undeterred and neutralised any advantage. Both games teetered between draws and narrow win margins.

In the 40th move, Humpy lost her cool while trying to invade the opposition through a a pawn sacrifice. Humpy, who ran short of time, blundered in the endgame, which led to Divya’s victory. This game too fluctuated between a win for Divya and a draw for a long time, but eventually the teenager won.