19-year-old Woman Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh etched her name in chess history on Wednesday, 23 July 2025, after becoming the first Indian chess player to reach the FIDE Women’s World Cup finals.
In the Women’s Chess World Cup 2025, taking place in Batumi, Georgia, Deshmukh secured a stunning win against China’s Tan Zhongyi. Deshmukh, with a FIDE ranking of 2463, defeated her opponent, a former World Champion and current World No. 4.
The Indian prodigy sealed her win in the second leg, playing with the white pieces. She had earlier managed a draw with black pieces in the first leg. With a 1.5-0.5 win, Divya became the first finalist of the tournament.
In the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, Deshmukh defeated second seed Zhu Jiner. She then defeated India’s Harika Dronavalli in the quarter-finals.
This year’s Women’s Chess World Cup could see an all-Indian final as the second semi-final between Koneru Humpy and Lei Tingjie went into tiebreaks after two draws, which will take place on Thursday, 24 July. The winner of the match will be Deshmukh’s opponent in the final.
