By Paritosh Pramanik
July 29, 2025
THOSE were the days when there was no internet and mobile phones. Dr Jitendra Deshmukh was fond of chess and used to play it during his leisure time while Divya’s great grandfather (maternal) used to spend Saturdays challenging the great revolutionary Vinoba Bhave in the game of 64 squares.
By the turn of the century, cable TV had captured country’s home and mobile phones had just arrived.
But Dr Jitendra and Dr Namrata decided to take their daughters Aarya and Divya to a sports field in city’s Shankar Nagar locality.
Outdoor sports like badminton and basketball attracted Aarya but chess turned out to be ‘love at first sight’ for Divya.
Age: 5 years!
Inculcating father’s hobby and grandfather’s ‘roots’, city’s Divya carved a niche for herself to become world champion and a Grandmaster at the age of 19!
She won the Women’s World Cup in Batumi, Georgia on Monday defeating much accomplished GM Koneru Humpy in the tie-breaker round after drawing the first two games in classical format.
Divya’s rise was meteoric.
At 14, she became a Woman International Master and the upwards journey took off. From there on she did now moved up, she vroomed... crushing top rated players and capturing title after title.
In just five years, she has dethroned some top names in the world of chess to become an undisputed Queen of 64 squares.
On her way to winning the coveted title, Divya has scratched several records as she also booked a berth for the Candidates tournament.
“She has been a very obedient and hard-working kid. Her interest in chess generated slowly over a period of time. My husband used to play chess as a hobby. I knew the game because my grandfather used to play chess with Vinoba Bhave every Saturday. So it was not new to our family,” Divya’s mother Dr Namrata had told ‘The Hitavada’ when her daughter was crowned Woman International Maters in 2021.
On July 5, she did not have even a single GM norm and in space of three weeks she has been crowned a Grandmaster.
Another history made and more to be created.
Till then Grandmaster Divya, the Queen of 64 Squares, will enjoy the new stardom!
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GM Dhopade, IM Deshmukh hail Divya’s coronation
n By Paritosh Pramanik
GRANDMASTER Swapnil Dhopade and Nagpur’s first International Master Anup Deshmukh hailed Divya Deshmukh for becoming the world champion and Grandmaster on Monday.
Divya was coronated as the new women’s world chess champion and Grandmaster after she won the second tie-break against compatriot Koneru Humpy in the Women’s World Cup final at Batumi in Georgia.
Lauding the achievement, Dhopade, who was Divya’s coach during the World Cup held in Chennai, said it was a proud moment for the entire country and Vidarbha that Divya emerged champion of the world. “She is very talented and hardworking. I have seen her when I was the women’s team’s coach at the chess Olympiad held in Chennai in 2022,” said Amravati lad Dhopade who is presently working with Central Railways, Nagpur.
“Winning World Cup as well as a Grandmaster title in the same tournament is a big achievement. She has really worked hard during her formative years which are now bearing fruits,” said Dhopade.
IM Deshmukh too was full of praise of her ‘opponent’ Divya.
“We have played against each other long back when she was too young. She was brilliant. The best thing of Divya is that she is a very fast learner. She picks new strategies very fast,” said Deshmukh.
Apart from the hardwork put in by Divya’s parents, Anup Deshmukh credited Nagpur District Chess Association (NDFCA) for giving Divya a chance to play chess in her formative years.
“NDCA should also be credited for what Divya has achieved. They have organised tournaments in big numbers which helped all of getting match practise. Vinod Trivedi, Adv Bade, Manoj Itkelwar, KK Barat, Dilip Pagay, late Umesh Panbude, Bhushan Shriwas and several others have provided the platform to players like Divya, GM Raunak Sadhwani and GM Sankalp Gupta.
“They all should be feeling proud today,” said IM Deshmukh.
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City GMs welcome Divya to their club
Grandmasters of city Raunak Sadhwani and Sankalp Gupta welcomed Divya Deshmukh to their Grandmasters’ Club after the city girl became the 88th GM of the country by winning the Women’s Chess World Cup.
“Divya winning Women’s World Cup is a proud moment for all of us. We have practised and played chess together for several years starting from age categories to open events. Congratulations & Well done Divya you deserve all the Accolades!! This moment is quite Inspirational. Well come to the club,” GM Raunak Sadhwani said.
“Huge congratulations to Divya and India! What she has achieved is truly phenomenal — becoming the first Indian woman to win the World Cup, qualifying for the Candidates, and clinching the GM title all in one go. Throughout the tournament, she showed incredible fighting spirit and resourcefulness. Her opening ideas were fresh and ambitious, and she handled pressure with remarkable composure. Wishing her all the very best for the Candidates,” added GM Sankalp Gupta.
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