Divya beats Humpy to win World Cup

Batumi

Teen chess star Divya Deshmukh, 19, made history by winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia. She defeated veteran Koneru Humpy in the final through tiebreaks and became India’s fourth woman grandmaster.

The final marked a clash of generations. Humpy, India’s first female grandmaster, is twice Divya’s age. Their two classical games ended in draws. Divya had the upper hand in the first game but missed a win. In the second game, both played cautiously. The real action came in the tiebreaks, where Divya capitalised on a blunder from Humpy in the second game.

“It feels like fate,” an emotional Divya said after winning. “I only hoped to earn a grandmaster norm, and I ended up becoming a grandmaster.”

Divya was seen as the underdog. Humpy is ranked world No. 5 in classical chess and is a former World Rapid Champion. Divya, ranked 18th, was expected to struggle, especially in the rapid format, but she held her nerve under pressure.

Just last year, Divya won the World Junior Championship in the girls section. Since then, her rise has been fast. She also led India to a team gold at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest, where she won individual gold as well.

Humpy once held the record for being the youngest woman grandmaster. Now, she’s passed the torch to a new prodigy.

Divya’s triumph signals a bright future for Indian women’s chess, with a new champion emerging from Nagpur to shine on the world stage.