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Indian chess sensation Divya Deshmukh has made headlines by winning the FIDE Women’s World Cup at just 19 years old, but there’s a distinction that needs clarification: she is a World Cup winner, not the World Champion. The current Women’s World Champion title still belongs to Ju Wenjun of China, who secured her fifth title in April by defeating Lei Tingjie 6.5–2.5.Divya’s victory at the World Cup, held in Batumi, Georgia, is no less remarkable. Entering as the 15th seed, she stunned the chess world by beating top-tier opponents, culminating in a thrilling final against India’s highest-ranked female player, Koneru Humpy. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!After the classical games ended in draws, the match went into rapid tiebreaks.In the first rapid game, Divya held her ground as White, forcing a draw. In the second, playing with the Black pieces, she showed nerves of steel. Humpy, under severe time pressure, made a few critical mistakes in the endgame, which Divya capitalised on to seal the title.What made this victory even more historic was that it earned Divya her final Grandmaster norm, officially making her a Grandmaster: the fourth Indian woman and the 88th Indian overall to achieve this feat. It’s a landmark achievement in a career that’s just beginning to bloom.ALSO READ: Chess | ‘Security protocol’: Why Divya Deshmukh played World Cup-winning move inside empty venueWhile the World Cup is a prestigious knockout-format tournament, the World Championship is a separate title, usually determined through a longer match between a reigning champion and a challenger. Hence, while Divya is now a World Cup champion and a Grandmaster, Ju Wenjun remains the reigning World Champion.Crucially, Divya’s World Cup win has earned her a spot in the upcoming FIDE Women’s Candidates Tournament, the gateway to the World Championship match. The winner of the Candidates will earn the right to challenge the reigning World Champion, putting Divya firmly on the path to possibly claiming the ultimate crown in women’s chess.
