Atreyo Mukhopadhyay
The protagonists were different but the initial and raw emotions the same. Divya Deshmukh was hugging her mother and crying after winning the Women’s Chess World Cup in Batumi in Georgia, exactly like D Gukesh threw himself into his father, unable to control tears after becoming the youngest-ever world champion in Singapore last December.
This is arguably the second-biggest title in the women’s game. Before Divya and Koneru Humpy — who she beat on tie-breaker in the final — no Indian had reached the final. The reigning world junior girls’ (U-20) champion’s success in this knockout event is the latest chapter in India’s burgeoning list of achievements in world chess. Notably, it was scripted by another teenager, close on the heels of the exploits of Gukesh, R Praggnanandhaa and Arjun Erigaisi in the open category.
Other than the prestige that comes with this crown, $50,000 in prize money and a Candidates berth, Divya also secured the Grandmaster title. On a chat on the FIDE YouTube channel, Divya appeared at a loss for words. “I need time to process this,” she said. Colleting herself somewhat towards the end of the brief chat, the girl from Nagpur summed up the euphoria. “Before coming here I didn’t have one GM norm and thinking if I could get one here. Now I’m a GM… It’s hard to speak now.”
The gold medal winner on the third board in India’s Chess Olympiad triumph last year, Divya becomes the fourth Indian woman to become a GM after Humpy, D Harika and R Vaishali. Unlike the three, she didn’t have to fulfil the criteria of securing three GM norms and having an Elo rating of 2500. Divya bagged one norm during the course of this competition and her current rating is 2463. She got the title following the exemption which awards it for winning certain listed elite events.
Challenging the Chinese
“All I can say is this is just the start. I have a lot more to achieve,” Divya mumbled before ending the live conversation. This is a significant development in the ecosystem of women’s chess dominated by China. The girl who turns 20 in December defeated the world No. 6 (Zhu Jiner) and No. 8 (Tan Zhongyi, former world champion) to deal a blow to the Chinese citadel. Even Humpy is world No. 5. Overcoming a flurry of big and happening names was the highlight of this dream run.
Speaking at the RevSportz Trailblazers conclave in Kolkata in February, Viswanathan Anand had noted that India’s progress in the women’s section hasn’t been as good as in the open category, where players from the country are winning top titles after Gukesh became the world champion. Despite skipping the Olympiad, Humpy was making the headlines in individual events. She won the world rapid title and one leg of the FIDE Women’s Grand Prix.
Divya’s rapid rise shatters that narrative. Although Vaishali was the first one from the generation after Humpy and Harika to make a mark at the international level, Divya has now landed the biggest individual prize for an Indian in women’s chess ever. Humpy had reached and lost the World Championship in 2011. By winning the World Cup, Divya has shown that she can challenge the world order. Her wish can be granted if she needs time to process this.
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