Women's World Cup triumph was the biggest test of my resilience, says Divya Deshmukh

New Delhi, Aug 1 (IANS) FIDE Women's World Cup gold medallist, who also became the 88th Grandmaster of the country and 4th Indian woman to become a Grand Master, believes her run at the tournament was a ‘test of resilience’ and hopes it motivates young girls to dream and achieve more on a global level.

Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Mansukh Mandaviya, felicitated Divya and her final opponent, Koneru Humpy in New Delhi on Friday.

"I think this tournament has been the biggest task of resilience, and also it was such a long event, so it definitely tested my physical and emotional stamina and also how to handle my nerves in the crucial moments.

“It (resiliency) is definitely one of the things that has helped me come this far; that and always always fighting to the end because I think that even in this tournament that has helped me a lot,” Divya told IANS.

The 19-year-old Divya stunned the chess world by winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup 2025, becoming the first Indian woman to claim the prestigious title. In the all-Indian final, Divya defeated legendary compatriot Koneru Humpy 1.5–0.5 in the rapid tiebreaks on Monday to script a fairytale ending.

"I would say it definitely helped chess in India and I'm hoping that it becomes motivation and inspiration for a lot of young girls that are out there and they are watching and are having big dreams, so I hope that they know that they can achieve them. I think it will hopefully play a small part,” she added.

The classical games played in the final had ended in tense draws, with both players showcasing resilience and elite-level play.

But the tie-breaks were where the young sensation flipped the script. After the first rapid game ended in a draw, the second saw Humpy crack under time pressure, making critical blunders that Divya pounced on. With nerves of steel, Divya closed out the win to become the 2025 Women’s World Cup champion, the fourth Indian woman to earn the Grandmaster title, and the country’s 88th GM overall.

"It has been very overwhelming coming to India seeing so much love from people, so much support from people. It has been really nice. It has been quite an exhausting trip and also an exhausting few days, but I don't think my heart could be any happier,” she concluded.

--IANS

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