Divya Deshmukh becomes India’s fourth female Grandmaster

Divya Deshmukh became the fourth Indian woman to earn the title of Grandmaster courtesy her victory at the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025.

The 19-year-old secured the title after her victory over fellow Indian Koneru Humpy in the final of the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia.

Deshmukh follows Humpy, R. Vaishali, and Harika Dronavalli in taking the prestigious Grandmaster title.

Divya’s path to becoming a Grandmaster comes through a somewhat atypical route. The conventional path to becoming a GM requires a player to win three GM norms, and achieve a Standard (Classical) FIDE rating of 2500 or above.

However, an alternative method of securing the title can come from winning certain elite competitions, including the FIDE Women’s World Cup. Divya’s victory in the final of the 2025 edition means that she takes the title of Grandmaster.