Divya Deshmukh exclusive: 'I was five when I started chess, used to sleep in my classes' — teenage prodigy on World Cup win, chess journey and more

Divya Deshmukh became the toast of the chess community recently after defeating veteran Grandmaster Koneru Humpy in a historic all-Indian final at the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia last week.

Divya entered the tournament as an International Master and signed off from the tournament with the trophy in her hand and ‘Grandmaster’ against her name – earning the latter without having to collect the three norms required for the title .

Speaking to Rupha Ramani on the latest episode of First Sports, the 19-year-old from Nagpur, Maharashtra, opened up on her incredible World Cup campaign , in which she defeated three players ranked inside the world top-10 including Humpy and how it’s bringing more recognition to women’s chess in India.

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“Very happy that chess is getting so much recognition, especially women’s chess and Indian chess, and I think it’s a very happy moment for all the Indian chess fans,” Deshmukh said on the show.

“Yes I think definitely. In the men’s (chess), we are undeniably one of the best right now. I think I can say we are the best, and I think in women’s chess also, we are getting quite close,” the teen GM added on the topic of India further stamping its authority as a superpower in chess.

Deshmukh also opened up on the absence of women when it came to the discussion of chess’ elite, but hoped her victory inspired young kids, especially girls, to take up the sport and ensure India’s flag keeps flying high in the world of chess.

“I think the unfortunate thing is that lesser women play chess, so it’s a pity that since lesser women play, the lesser they reach the top. So I’m hoping this win encourages a lot of young girls, lot of kids and especially young girls, to take up chess and hopefully we can see much stronger Indian chess in the next few years,” she continued.

Newly-crowned world champion pays tribute to her late coach

Divya also opened up on her chess journey that began at the tender age of five and how her late coach Rahul Joshi played a central role in moulding her into the world-class player that she is today. Joshi, a reputed chess coach based in Nagpur who had also trained GM Raunak Sadhwani, had passed away at the age of 40 in April 2020.

“I was five when I started chess and of course like any other five-year-old, it was really boring for me, I did not understand it and I used to sleep in my classes. Once I got to know how much a sport teaches you… of course I was too young to understand the depth of it. But I think the way it taught me about life, failures, successes, how to handle myself and nerves, I think sport is something that every child should do just for human development. Once I started winning tournaments, I fell in love with it,” Deshmukh continued.

“Rahul sir has had the biggest impact on me. He was my first coach, so he has been the guiding force for me and my parents. He has led us to understand how the chess world works. When I won my first nationals, we didn’t even know there is selection for Asians and Worlds. So, he was the one who accompanied me, taught me how the entire chess world works, and I think I owe my entire start and a lot of my journey to him, because if not for him, I wouldn’t have started. So in a way, I owe it all to him,” she added.

Watch the full interview here: