Divya Deshmukh, one of India’s most talented young chess talents, is making waves on the global stage, and now, she's caught the attention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 19-year-old rising star of Indian chess stunned the chess world by defeating Chinese legend and World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the World Blitz Team Chess Championship held in London.
After this feat of India's young chess player Divya Deshmukh, a wave of happiness has spread across the country.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated Indian chess prodigy Divya Deshmukh for her historic victory over World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the second leg of the Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships in London.
In a post on X, Shri Modi wrote: “Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London. Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours."
Who is Divya Deshmukh?
Divya Deshmukh (born 9 December 2005) holds the title of Woman Grandmaster and International Master. She is a three-time gold medalist at the Olympiad. Deshmukh has also won multiple golds at the Asian Championship, the World Junior Championship as well as the World Youth Championship.
Divya was born in Nagpur in a Marathi family. Her parents, Jitendra Deshmukh and Namratha Deshmukh, are doctors. She received her early education from Bhavans Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir.
Divya Deshmukh became India's 21st woman chess Grandmaster in 2021. She won the 2022 Women's Indian Chess Championship. She also won an individual bronze medal at the 2022 Chess Olympiad. She was also part of the gold medal-winning FIDE Online Chess Olympiad 2020 team. As of December 2024, she is the 2nd ranked woman chess player in India.
Won the Asian Women's Chess Championship in 2023
In 2023, in Almaty she won the Asian Women's Chess Championship. In May 2024, Deshmukh was the Sharjah Challengers champion, a large open tournament win that earned her a spot in the Sharjah Masters the following year. In June, she became 2024 FIDE World U20 Girls Chess Champion. In September 2024, she won the team gold as well as the individual gold medals at the 45th Chess Olympiad in 2024.
Prakash Kumar Pandey
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