Divya Deshmukh recently won the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia, and that triumph has now been recognised by reigning World Champion D. Gukesh. He praised her during his appearance at the Velammal Nexus event and recalled their journey together from a young age.
“We (Gukesh and Divya) basically grew up together. We played in the same tournaments right from when we were eight or nine years old. The way Divya won the World Cup was really inspiring. It is not easy to win the tournament, you have to play regularly for a month. I have played the World Cup two times, so I know how difficult it is to win,” Gukesh said at the event.
Gukesh also praised India’s emerging talent in both male and female categories, while crediting Divya and Koneru Humpy for their performances in the FIDE World Cup.
“Both of them (Divya and losing finalist, veteran Koneru Humpy) played amazingly well. For Indian chess, it is important that we have good results in both men (open) and women,” he added.
However, Gukesh also confirmed that he is looking forward to taking part in the World Cup.
“For sure, I will take part in the World Cup. I am really excited and looking forward to it. In chess, we do not have many knockout events, so the World Cup is the biggest knockout tournament. After the Olympiad (in 2022), India hosting a big event is important for Indian chess,” he concluded.
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