Divya Deshmukh: India's 88th GM & 4th Indian Female GM

 Divya Deshmukh: India's 88th GM & 4th Indian Female GM

On July 28, 2025, 19‑year‑old Divya Deshmukh from Nagpur won the FIDE Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia, defeating India’s top female Grandmaster, Koneru Humpy, by 1.5–0.5 in rapid tiebreaks after two classical games ended in draws 

By clinching the World Cup title, she bypassed the standard requirement of earning three GM norms and crossing the 2500 Elo mark—earning her the Grandmaster title directly as per FIDE rules 

This made Divya the 88th Grandmaster from India, and notably only the fourth Indian woman ever to receive the GM title. The previous three Indian women Grandmasters are:

Koneru Humpy (first, 2002)

Harika Dronavalli (second, 2011)

R. Vaishali (third, 2023) 

She's also the 13th Grandmaster from Maharashtra, with the country’s first GM being Viswanathan Anand 

📌 Why This Matters

Divya became the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, making her feat doubly historic—not just as a Grandmaster, but as a world champion 

She advanced through an extremely strong field, defeating elite opponents including Zhu Jiner, Harika Dronavalli, Tan Zhongyi, before overcoming Humpy in the final 

Divya’s achievement comes at a time of a broader renaissance in Indian chess, highlighted by rising stars like Gukesh Dommaraju, R. Praggnanandhaa, and Vaishali, signaling strong growth in both men's and women’s chess in India 

After her win, she received recognition from national figures like Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who praised her grit and determination 

📋 Summary Table

Milestone

Details

Event

FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, in Batumi, Georgia

Final Match Score

Divya Deshmukh defeated Koneru Humpy 1.5–0.5 (rapid)

India’s GM Count

Divya became the 88th Grandmaster overall

Indian Women GM Count

Only the fourth Indian woman to earn GM title

🚀 Impact on Indian Chess Landscape

Divya’s breakthrough underscores India’s rising prominence in women’s chess, breaking barriers and inspiring more young girls to pursue chess seriously 

Her journey—balancing academics and chess, and bypassing traditional GM norms—is seen as both unconventional and inspirational