Divya Deshmukh Makes History: First Indian to reach FIDE Women's World Cup finals

A historic moment for Indian chess. Marathi Divya Deshmukh defeated China's former world champion and currently ranked fourth in the world, Tan Zhongyi, in the semifinals to reach the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025. With this achievement, Divya has become the first Indian female chess player to reach the final.

This match was extremely competitive. However, in the end, Divya clinched victory through patience and mental strength. This marked her third consecutive victory against a Grandmaster. After this win, she has qualified for the Candidates Tournament in 2026 and has also achieved her first Grandmaster norm.

Divya's opponent in the final match will be determined on Thursday. The match between India's Koneru Humpy and China's Lei Tingjie has gone to a tiebreak, and the result will be announced soon.

Divya has previously proven her capability. She has won the U-10 and U-12 World Championships and in 2024, she won the U-20 World Junior Championship with 10/11 points. She also played a significant role in India's Olympiad gold medal.