Nagpur-origin chess master Divya Deshmukh has scripted history to become the only Indian to reach the FIDE Woman’s World Cup for chess. She defeated Chinese grandmaster Tan Zhongyi in the semi-finals after knocking out two other players ranked among the top 10 in the league.

It has been a stellar chess season for India at the FIDE as both Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal, pulled off the biggest upsets after defeating Grandmasters Jiner and Ushenina, respectively. After defeating China’s top seed, Divya became one of the four Indians to move ahead in the tournament before defeating Zhonghyi in the semis.

However, Vantika bowed out shortly after defeating Ushenina after facing a third-round loss against Russia’s Kateryna Lagno.

Divya Deshmukh’s chess bravado

Deshmukh’s competitive streak set foot after she won a bronze in the “Open” and “Women” categories in the 2022 Olympiad. Scripting history for Indian chess, she rose through every challenge and triumphed in the Asian Chess Championship and the Tata Steel Chess India later that year.

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Advancing the rapid tournament, she beat established top seeds like China’s GM Ju Wenjun and India’s Harika Dronavalli and Koneru Humpy. Earlier this year in June, she also defeated world rank number one Hou Yifan at the World Rapid and Blitz Team Chess Championships, setting the tone for Divya’s upward advance.

Divya at FIDE

It is interesting to note that Divya faced no defeat during her matches at the world cup. As she advances her way to the finals, she speaks of that stellar record during the games played thus far. She faced Zhu in the first tie-break game and despite making a knight blunder on move 34 while playing Black—right after the world No. 6 had equalised the fourth-round clash with a precise 57-move win in the second Classical game, she fought on.

She extended the game beyond 90 moves, eventually compelling her opponent to concede. Later that day, she secured overall victory with a draw achieved through repetition.

As per latest updates, India is set to host the Chess World Cup 2025 from October 30 to November 27. The top three finishers of the 2025 World Cup will earn direct qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament, which determines the challenger for the World Chess Championship.