India’s 19-year-old chess star Divya Deshmukh becomes Grandmaster. Anand Mahindra reminds us of the unsung woman behind her

In a stunning display of grit and composure, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh has etched her name in Indian chess history by winning the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup — and with it, claiming the coveted Grandmaster title. The young star from Nagpur defeated none other than veteran Koneru Humpy, a two-decade-long powerhouse in the chess world, in a tense final that went down to tiebreaks. While both classical games ended in draws, it was Deshmukh who kept her cool and outplayed Humpy in the rapid rounds, showing nerves of steel.

The victory was not only a personal milestone but a historic moment — Divya became the 88th Grandmaster of India and only the fourth Indian woman to do so, following legends like Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, and R Vaishali. Visibly emotional after the win, Divya said she needed time to process it. “I think it was fate, me getting the Grandmaster title this way because before this tournament, I didn’t even have one GM norm,” she said, as quoted by PTI.



Her achievement sparked a wave of praise across the country. Business tycoon Anand Mahindra celebrated her win on X. But it was his heartfelt tribute to the woman behind Divya Deshmukh that caught everyone's attention. He wrote, “Behind the Grandmaster is the caring mother… as always, the unsung hero behind many stars.”


Divya too credited her mother for her success as she told FIDE, "She is the biggest support here. I don't think that I would have come this far without her. It's really nice to see somebody who's always cheering on you, in your good times and bad times."

Five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand also lauded the teen’s resilience, calling it a “great celebration of Indian chess, particularly women’s chess.”


The moment carried even more emotional weight as Divya, born in 2005, took down Humpy, who had already become a Grandmaster in 2002 — three years before Divya was even born.