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India’s First Women's Chess World Cup Winner - Divya Deshmukh

29 Jul 2025 GS 1 Sports
India’s First Women's Chess World Cup Winner - Divya Deshmukh Click to view full image

Key Highlights:

  • Event: FIDE Women’s Chess World Cup 2025

  • Location: Batumi, Georgia

  • Winner: Divya Deshmukh (19 years old)

  • Final Opponent: Koneru Humpy (World No. 5)

  • Result: Won in tiebreakers

  • Prize Money: $50,000

Historic Milestones:

  • First Indian woman to win the Women’s Chess World Cup.

  • Became India’s 88th Grandmaster (GM).

  • Only the 4th Indian woman GM after:

    • Koneru Humpy

    • D. Harika

    • R. Vaishali

  • Qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2026 (with Humpy) – Road to the World Championship.

  • Emulates Viswanathan Anand, the only other Indian to win a Chess World Cup (2002).

Significance for Indian Chess:

  • Symbolizes rise of young women in Indian chess.

  • 4 Indian women reached the quarterfinals of the 2025 World Cup.

  • Continuation of India’s dominance in global chess (after D. Gukesh became youngest World Champion in 2024).


CHESS IN INDIA: 

I. ORIGIN AND ANTIQUITY

  • Ancient Roots:

    • Chess originated in India around the 6th century CE during the Gupta Empire.

    • Known as Chaturanga, the game had four divisions of the military: infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots.

    • Chaturanga is the precursor to modern chess, emphasizing:

      • Different pieces with distinct powers

      • Victory based on the survival of the King

  • Global Spread:

    • Via Silk Road, it spread to Persia and became Shatranj.

    • Refined in the Islamic world and Europe, evolving into modern chess.

II. MODERN HISTORY OF CHESS IN INDIA

  • Institutional Development:

    • 1951: Formation of All India Chess Federation (AICF)

    • 1955: First National Chess Championship held at Eluru, Andhra Pradesh

    • 1956: India’s debut at 12th Chess Olympiad, Moscow

  • First Achievements:

    • First National Champion: Ramchandra Sapre

    • First International Master (IM): Manuel Aaron (1961)

    • First Woman to Participate in Nationals: Rohini Khadilkar (1977), broke gender barriers

III. ICONIC MILESTONES & PLAYERS

  • Viswanathan Anand (The Game Changer):

    • Became India’s first Grandmaster (1988)

    • World Champion (2000), held the title till 2013

    • Popularised chess in India and inspired a new generation

  • Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi:

    • First Woman International Master (1996)

    • First Woman Grandmaster (2001)

  • Koneru Humpy:

    • Youngest female GM in the world (2002) at age 15 years, 1 month, 27 days

  • Blind Chess:

    • 1997: All India Chess Federation for the Blind established

    • 2012: India hosted 14th Blind Chess Olympiad in Chennai

IV. RECENT RISE AND SUPERPOWER STATUS

  • Gukesh D:

    • Youngest Indian Grandmaster: Age 12 (2018)

    • Youngest winner of Candidates Tournament: Age 17 (2024)

    • World Chess Champion: Age 18 (2024) — defeated Ding Liren

  • Praggnanandhaa & Vaishali:

    • First brother-sister Grandmaster duo

    • Both qualified for Candidates Tournament

  • Olympiad Achievements:

    • 2014: First Chess Olympiad bronze

    • 2022: India hosted 44th Chess Olympiad in Chennai; won bronze in Open and Women’s categories

    • 2024 (Budapest): First Olympiad golds in both Open and Women’s categories

V. MISCELLANEOUS FIRSTS & RECORDS

AchievementPlayer / Detail
First Blind Olympiad hosted by India2012, Chennai
First Asian Senior Champion (India)Wazeer Ahmad Khan (2015)
Most National Titles (Men)Manuel Aaron – 9
Most National Titles (Women)Subbaraman Vijayalakshmi – 6
Most National Blind TitlesKishan Gangolli – 6


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