IM Divya Deshmukh is the first Indian to reach the 2025 FIDE Women’s World Cup Final. She held her nerves in a very tight game to beat China’s GM Tan Zhongyi. This is a landmark win for her as well as for the nation, making India proud on a global level.
Who is Divya Deshmukh?
- Divya Deshmukh was born on 9th December, 2005 in Nagpur, Maharashtra. Divya is currently 19 years old.
- The famous chess player was born to her doctor parents named Jitendra and Namratha Deshmukh.
- Divya advanced in chess after being inspired to play sports from her father who is a chess enthusiast himself.
- She started playing Badminton initially but shifted to Chess later.
- Divya was 5 years old when she started playing chess and she advanced exponentially in no time.
Divya Deshmukh: Early Life
- Initially, she showed keen interest in playing Chess.
- Divya was trained by GM RB Ramesh from Chess Gurukul, Chennai.
- She has idolised Vishwanathan Anand for her aggressive playing style.
- Her education at Bhavan’s Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir, Nagpur has helped her in balancing her academics with her career in Chess.
Major Achievements
- IM Divya recently qualified for the FIDE Women’s World Cup Final in Batumi, Georgia by defeating GM Zhu Jiner, Harika Dronavalli and former World Champion Tan Zhongyi. She has also qualified for the 2026 Candidates Tournament and has earned first Grandmaster norm.
- In June 2025, Divya defeated Hou Yifan (World’s No. 1) at the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship in London. It has given bronze and rapid silver medals to India.
- In 2024, Divya won the FIDE World Junior Girls Championship.
- In 2024, She earned gold for the nation as well in Budapest.
- In 2023, Divya won the 2023 Asian Women’s Championship in Almaty.
- In 2022, the breakthrough win in her career came with 2022’s Women’s Indian Chess Championship.
Divya Deshmukh: Chess Rankings
- In July 2025, Divya’s current FIDE ranking is 2463.
- Her previous best ranking was 2501 in October 2024.
- She is ranked among the top 15 players globally and holds the second rank in India.
- In FIDE, a high rating is the reflection of good expertise. The rating above 2200 is considered good, while the rating above 2500 is given to the Grandmaster usually.
Impact on Indian Chess
IM Divya Deshmukh has made the nation proud once again with her recent achievement of qualifying for the finals in the FIDE Women’s World Cup Finals. She has shown success in beating renowned chess players from across the globe as well. She has even inspired many young Indian women to grow their career in Chess.
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She, along with R. Praggnanandhaa and D. Gukesh inspires the whole young Indian community to invest time in such a bright game. This growing dominance of India in Chess is helping the nation earn a strong hold in World Chess Leaders.
In the Right Interest of Youth
Youth is the backbone of every nation. Every nation wants to invest in youth. But because of the ease of access to inappropriate content on social media, the youth has started walking on the wrong path. Youth needs the right direction and guidance to walk on the right path.
Today, Jagatguru Tatvdarshi Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj has emphasised on the importance of the right way of living in His spiritual discourses. He has empowered youth by His noble initiatives of making India free from intoxication and substance abuse, dowry-free marriage initiative, His devotee community is free from various social evils like gambling, bribery, corruption, cheating and many others. He (Sant Rampal Ji) has always inspired His devotees and the globe for righteous living.
- For more impactful spiritual insights, visit –
- Website: www.jagatgururampalji.org
- YouTube channel: Sant Rampal Ji Maharaj
- Facebook Page: Spiritual Leader Saint Rampal Ji
- X handle: @SaintRampalJiM
