 "Divya Deshmukh wins FIDE Women's World Cup. @FIDE_chess")
Divya Deshmukh defeated veteran Koneru Humpy in the tiebreaker of the all-India final to clinch the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia. The 19-year-old has become the youngest FIDE World Cup winner and has also attained the coveted Grandmaster title. Divya is India’s 88th Grandmaster and 4th Women’s Grandmaster.
Earlier, the classical games ended in stalemates. Game 1 on Saturday finished in a draw after 41 moves, whereas Game 2 finished much earlier after just 34 moves.
Also Read | How Divya Deshmukh outfoxed Koneru Humpy, scripted history by winning FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup 2025
As the action moved to tiebreakers, Game 1 of the tiebreaker also ended in a draw, but Divya emerged victorious in the second game after Humpy made a blunder.
“It was fate,” an emotional Divya said right after her win. “Before the tournament, I was thinking that I could maybe earn a grandmaster norm here. And at the end, I became a grandmaster.”
It will go down as a historic campaign for Divya for varied reasons. She entered the tournament as an underdog and exceeded expectations with each passing round. She defeated several top seeds, including 2nd seed Zhu Jiner in the 4th round, 10th seed Harika D in the quarterfinals, 3rd seed Tan Zhongyi in the semifinals, and ultimately 4th seed Koneru Humpy in the final.
While she dominated her opponents in the tournament, the odds were still not in her favour in the final tiebreaker. Humpy, who became the World Rapid Champion for the second time in her career in December last year, was the favourite against Deshmukh, but Divya capitalised on the blunder made by Humpy and eventually became the champion.
India celebrate Divya Deshmukh’s epic victory
Social media is abuzz with the victory of Divya Deshmukh, and the entire chess community is celebrating her glorious achievement. From India’s President Droupadi Murmu, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, to 5-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand, India and the Chess world have hailed the new FIDE Women’s World Cup winner.
Here are some of the best reactions:
At 19, it is just the start of Divya Deshmukh’s journey to rule the sport. After becoming the first Indian to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup. She will now enter the Candidates tournament and will eye the World Championship.