PM Modi congratulates Divya Deshmukh on becoming ‘Grandmaster’

New Delhi [India], July 29 (ANI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday congratulated Divya Deshmukh on not only winning the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup but also becoming a Grandmaster, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office.

The Prime Minister posted on X, “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."

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.

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. (ANI)

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