Nagpur (Maharashtra) [India], July 31 : India's FIDE Women's Chess World Cup champion Divya Deshmukh expressed happiness at her title win, expressing hope that it will be a stepping stone to more achievements in the future.
Divya, a 19-year-old rising sensation in the world of chess, became the first Indian woman to clinch the Chess World Cup after overwhelming Koneru on Monday evening in the final via tiebreaks. She became just the fourth Indian woman grandmaster and overall the 88th in the nation to clinch that title.
Speaking to ANI after the title win, Divya said, "It has been years of hard work. I hope this is just a stepping stone for me to achieve my other goals."
"I think there was a lot of pressure on both of us (her and Humpy). But the good thing was that since it was India's final, the trophy came to India. And I think that is a good thing for Indian chess popularity in India. I was just focusing on my performance. And obviously, there was pressure, but I was trying to control my nerves," she added.
Divya said that it took her a few seconds to realise that she was indeed a World Cup winner and had tears in her eyes. "And then I was looking for my mother," she added.
Speaking on being an inspiration to youngsters taking up the sport, she said, "I am lucky that I was able to be an inspiration for them. And I am hoping that because of this victory, more girls and boys will play and know chess."
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other leaders congratulated Divya on her victory.
"It's been a phenomenal day for Indian Chess! Divya Deshmukh has not only won the 2025 FIDE Women's World Cup but also become a Grandmaster. Congratulations to her. Her accomplishment will motivate many people and contribute to chess becoming even more popular among the youth. @DivyaDeshmukh05," PM Modi said in a post on X.
The newly-crowned grandmaster also thanked PM Modi for congratulating her.
On to who she wanted to dedicate her victory, she thanked her parents and family, her "first coach, Rahul Joshi sir and Ishwar Ramteke sir."
Speaking about her future competitions, Divya said that she will be a part of the Grand Swiss competition in September in Uzbekistan.
"And for that, I think I will do normal preparations," she added.
On her message for the children taking up the sport and their parents, she said, "I will tell the kids to keep working hard. And do not focus on the results."
"Sometimes motivation drops. But keep fighting. And to the parents, I will say, please keep supporting your child. Especially in their failures," she concluded.
During the tense contest, a string of inaccuracies in the second rapid game contributed to Koneru's downfall. She found herself a pawn down in the rook endgame, which played out in Divya's favour. The veteran allowed the situation to sink in and resigned on the 75th move and fell short in a gripping final with a score of 2.5-1.5.
Divya failed to capitalise on the two windows that Koneru left open for her with her inaccurate moves. However, on the third time, Koneru inflicted more damage on herself by capturing the f pawn on move 69, which changed the tide in Divya's favour towards the final moments of the contest. This time around, Divya made no mistake, played the right moves and forced Koneru to resign after six moves.
Her eyes welled up with tears as she began to grasp the scale of her victory. She tried to compose herself, but soon became overwhelmed with emotions again after embracing her mother in a heartfelt moment.