'Wore lucky kurta, played Mary Kom songs and won': How Nagpur's 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh conquered chess world for India

At just 19 years old, Divya Deshmukh has made history by becoming India’s first woman World Cup chess champion, showing incredible determination and self-belief. After her win in Georgia, she is returning home to Nagpur, where a grand welcome is waiting for her.

Speaking to The Times of India from Batumi Airport, the young chess sensation shared her feelings, the journey to this big win, and the little things, like music, clothes, and sleep, that helped her along the way.

Even after clinching the title, Divya admits it’s hard to believe.


“It’s yet to sink in,” she told TOI. “It’s still difficult to believe that yesterday was my last night as an International Master.”

With her victory, Divya also won $50,000 in prize money, the biggest of her career so far. “I don’t have any plans right now,” she said humbly, focusing more on her future games than shopping lists.

Surprisingly, she insists that nothing much has changed. “As a person or a player, I remain the same,” she said. “But yes, the pressure to become a Grandmaster is off. That’s a relief.”

When asked if Grandmasters get more respect, Divya smiled and said, “I guess I will find out now.”

With thousands of messages pouring in, she hasn’t had the chance to read them all. “Once I do, I’ll let you know which was the best one,” she laughed.

Her next focus? The Grand Swiss tournament in Uzbekistan this September. “Chess is exhausting,” she said, adding that she plans to catch up on sleep, music, and rest.

Fans loved her pink printed kurta and beige pants, and so did Divya. “It became my lucky dress,” she revealed. “I wore it for all my tiebreakers and won every single one.”

Though chess takes most of her time, Divya follows football and tennis when she can. And during the tournament, it was the songs from Milkha Singh and Mary Kom movies that kept her inspired.

“I just listened to their songs to stay pumped,” she said. “They really motivated me.”

While she’s confident enough to travel alone, Divya admits she prefers having her parents around. “They handle everything else so I can just focus on chess,” she said.

She’s unsure how many countries she’s visited, “I need to buy a map and start marking them!”, but Greece tops her list. “It’s beautiful and the food is amazing,” she shared.

Fashion? Divya keeps it personal and comfortable. “I just wear what feels good,” she said. “I wouldn’t rate my fashion sense. I just like wearing nice clothes, who doesn’t!”

With her calm attitude and focused mind, Divya Deshmukh has already become a role model. She hopes her win encourages more people to follow chess in India.

“Cricket is still number one,” she admits, “but I hope my win adds something to the rise of chess in our country.”