Divya Deshmukh beats Humpy in Women's World Cup final, becomes GM

19-year-old Divya Deshmukh from Nagpur clinched the FIDE Women's World Cup, defeating Koneru Humpy in a tie-break, earning her the Grandmaster title.

Divya Desmukh

Divya Desmukh

time

Teenaged Indian chess player Divya Deshmukh earned the biggest success of her career by clinching the FIDE Women's World Cup with a tie-break win over compatriot and more experienced Koneru Humpy here on Monday.

The victory not just earned the 19-year-old the prestigious title, but also made her a Grandmaster, something which looked improbable when she started the tournament.

She is only the fourth woman from India to become a Grandmaster, and the 88th overall.

The victory for the Nagpur player came after the two classical games played on Saturday and Sunday ended in draws.

In the time-controlled tie-breaker on Monday, Divya, playing with white, was again held to a draw.

But in the reverse game, where she had black pieces, she managed to overcome the two-time world rapid champion 2.5-1.5.

PTI

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