'God Bless You' - Divya Deshmukh Receives Special Wishes From Union Minister Nitin Gadkari After Winning FIDE Women's World Cup 2025

Rising Indian star Divya Deshmukh scripted chess history at the tender age of 19 when she managed to get the better of compatriot Koneru Humpy to triumph in the final of the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025, also earning herself the title of grandmastrer in the process. 

Deshmukh is also the first Indian to ever win the FIDE Women's World Cup and she was felicitated for her achievements by none other than Union Minister Nitin Gadkari. 

He got on a short video call to congratulate Deshmukh for her win, and the young Indian chess star was gracious in accepting his wishes. 

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How The Match Unfolded

The match-up between Humpy and Deshmukh was expected to be a close match, which is exactly how it played out - their first 2 matches were drawn, which led to the match heading into tie-breaks.

And it was in the tiebreaks that Divya finally managed to pull ahead, in the end registering a 1.5-0.5 win. The tiebreaks start with rapid games, and much like the first 2 classical games they also ended in a draw, handing both of them 0.5 points each. In this round, Deshmukh played with the white pieces.

But the big moment came in the next round as Deshmukh, now armed with the black pieces, secured an impressive victory. 

ALSO READ | Divya Deshmukh Like MS Dhoni in Crucial Moments, Says Her Former Coach

'Divya Like MS Dhoni' - Former Coach

Divya made history by not only becoming the first Indian to win this event, but also showcased her grit and mettle - something that saw her compared to former Indian cricket team captain MS Dhoni.

"She's quite an aggressive player. But with time, Divya has become more all-round, more versatile. I think she's equally good across all the different formats... Classical, Rapid and Blitz. And her strength is, I think, turning up in those big moments, crunch situations. Like how Mahendra Singh Dhoni used to win the matches in the last over. I saw something similar in Divya in those last-round situations or situations where everything was hanging in the high-pressure moments," Srinath Narayanan, Divya's former coach, told PTI.

It is worth noting that she won the tournament by defeating several higher-seeded opponents, including 2nd seed Zhu Jiner in the fourth round, 10th seed Harika Dronavalli in the quarterfinals, and 3rd seed Tan Zhongyi in the semifinals.