Batumi, Georgia: Teen chess sensation Divya Deshmukh delivered a landmark performance on Monday by defeating Indian legend Koneru Humpy to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 in Batumi, Georgia.
The 19-year-old not only became the first Indian to capture the prestigious title but also earned the coveted Grandmaster (GM) title, making her the 88th Indian and the youngest Indian woman currently holding that distinction.
The summit clash between two of India’s finest women players, Deshmukh and Humpy, lived up to expectations. The final was tied 1-1 after the classical games, pushing the outcome to be decided in the rapid tiebreakers held in Batumi, Georgia. The two rapid games were played under a 10-minute format with a 10-second increment after each move.
Divya, who won the toss, started the first rapid game with white pieces. She launched a fierce offensive early in the match, forcing Humpy to consume significant time. Though Humpy regrouped and mounted a strong counterattack, the game eventually ended in a draw after a tense queen exchange was declined by Deshmukh.
🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh wins the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup! 🏆
🥇 Divya Deshmukh 🇮🇳
🥈 Humpy Koneru 🇮🇳
🥉 Tan Zhongyi 🇨🇳Results – Final:
🇮🇳 Divya Deshmukh 2.5-1.5 Humpy Koneru 🇮🇳
🇨🇳 Tan Zhongyi 1.5-0.5 Lei Tingjie 🇨🇳#FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/NDtnO4pPXU— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 28, 2025
In the second rapid game, Divya again began on the front foot, pushing Humpy into defensive territory. The turning point came on move 40, when a crucial blunder by Humpy allowed Divya to activate her queen.
The match progressed into a rook endgame with Divya holding an extra pawn. Despite Humpy’s experience and resistance, another late error led her to resign on move 75, handing the title to the teenager.
Divya Deshmukh’s historic win brought her a prize purse of approximately ₹43.23 lakh ($50,000). Humpy, the runner-up, earned ₹30.26 lakh ($35,000). Both players have now qualified for the Candidates Tournament 2026, which will determine the challenger for the Women’s World Chess Championship.
🏆 The winner of the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025 – Divya Deshmukh 🇮🇳
🥇 Divya Deshmukh 🇮🇳
🥈 Humpy Koneru 🇮🇳
🥉 Tan Zhongyi 🇨🇳#FIDEWorldCup pic.twitter.com/FaEtlL4VAI— International Chess Federation (@FIDE_chess) July 28, 2025
By clinching the Women’s World Cup title, Divya also fulfilled the requirements to be awarded the Grandmaster title, not through the traditional path of GM norms and ratings, but through a direct title provision.
According to FIDE regulations, winners of elite competitions such as the Women’s World Cup are granted the GM title directly. With this, Divya joins the elite company of Humpy, Dronavalli Harika, and R Vaishali as the only Indian women Grandmasters.
This historic achievement also places her alongside chess legends like Viswanathan Anand, who became India’s first GM in 1987, and Humpy, who was the first Indian woman to attain the title in 2002.
