FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup review: Indian chess hits new high with Divya Deshmukh’s title win

Indian chess has never had it this good, showcasing its growing prowess with consistency and signalling that the best may still lie ahead.

After five-time World Champion Viswanathan Anand’s glorious years, Indian chess is now witnessing success stories like never before. In the past year alone, the country swept gold at the Chess Olympiad, 18-year-old D. Gukesh triumphed at the Candidates Tournament to become World Champion, and now, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh has stunned the world with her conquest of the Women’s World Cup.

The World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, featured a field of 107 players and intense knockout-format battles. The rules tested players’ skills across multiple time formats. The elite field included nearly all top players except the reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun.

As it turned out, the final battle for glory was fought between compatriots K. Humpy and Divya. At 38, Humpy had experience that exceeded Divya’s age, but in the tournament’s decisive phase, it was Divya’s energy that proved more effective.

It was a fairytale finish for the girl from Nagpur, who prevailed 2.5-1.5 after the two classical-format games ended in draws. In the tiebreaks, the second rapid game proved decisive when Humpy faltered more than once in a tense endgame. She could not capitalise on Divya’s late oversight and eventually blundered, handing her younger opponent a memorable title win.

For Divya, the World Cup was worth much more than the top prize of $50,000 (approximately ₹43.35 lakh). The victory brought with it the Grandmaster title—remarkable considering she arrived at the event without a single GM norm to her name.

Divya, who became only the fourth Indian woman to earn the Grandmaster title, took the country’s tally to 88. By topping the field, she led a trio of qualifiers for the Candidates Tournament, which decides who will challenge the reigning World Champion from China.

After India secured two of the three Candidates spots, Tan Zhongyi beat Chinese teammate and favourite Lei Tingjie 1.5-0.5 by winning the second classical game.

For the first time, India outplayed so many strong Chinese challengers in a marquee individual event. Divya ousted the second and third seeds — Zhu Jiner and Tan Zhongyi — while Humpy eliminated top seed Lei Tingjie after clawing back from a 0-1 deficit to win 5-3 in a high-stakes semifinal.

Of the nine Indians who competed, four reached the quarterfinals. By some twist of fate, each player who beat an Indian was eventually beaten by another Indian.

Generational shift: A final that felt like a baton pass — from Humpy’s legacy to Divya’s rise.
| Photo Credit:
Anna Shtourman/FIDE

The celebrations began the moment Humpy joined Divya in the final, ensuring India would take the top two spots and secure a pair of Candidates berths.

In recent years, the spotlight has largely been on India’s rise in men’s chess. Now, it’s time to acknowledge how Indian women have steadily seized their place at the global high table.

Last year, Humpy finished runner-up in the Candidates, while R. Vaishali placed a strong fourth. The women’s team matched the men’s gold-winning performance at the Chess Olympiad in Budapest. The year ended with Humpy reclaiming the World Rapid title and Vaishali claiming a surprise bronze in the World Blitz Championship. Divya’s World Junior Girls title, though significant, flew under the radar.

But her triumph in Batumi dwarfs all her previous successes. Seeded 15th, Divya beat five higher-rated opponents—among them former World Champion Tan Zhongyi and 2022 World Rapid winner Zhu Jiner.

Add to that her victories over her idols-turned-teammates Humpy and Harika, and Divya’s campaign acquires a whole new dimension.

Though Divya’s World Cup win will understandably overshadow other performances, it’s important to recognise what Humpy accomplished during her run.

As the highest non-Chinese seed, Humpy outperformed her fourth seeding by accounting for Lei Tingjie, the 2023 World Championship runner-up, in the semis. She had earlier defeated rising Chinese star Song Yuxin and 2008 World Champion Alexandra Kosteniuk, now representing Switzerland.

Elsewhere, Harika impressed by defeating seventh seed Kateryna Lagno, the 2018 World Championship runner-up and a former World Rapid Champion.

Another commendable performance came from 39th-seeded Vantika Agrawal, who knocked out 2012 World Champion Anna Ushenina on her way to the third round.

All told, this World Cup will be remembered not just for Divya and Humpy’s dominance but for the grit and resilience shown by the Indian contingent when it mattered most.

In short, it was Indian women’s chess at its finest, and the best possible global showcase of their rising stature.