Divya Deshmukh: The Eleventh Hour Replacement Who Struck Gold in Tata Steel Chess India Rapid

The time seems to be ripe for one prodigy after another to emerge from India in the age-old game of Chess as the nation’s products continue to bellow the country’s abundance of talent on the international stage.

Following boy Wonder Praggnanandha’s strong showing at the FIDE World Cup 2023, where he reached the final of the event before falling at the final hurdle, the nation is privy to the emergence of yet another teenage wunderkind in the form of Woman Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh.

Deshmukh, the 17-year-old genius from Nagpur earned the title of woman grandmaster in the year 2021 at the tender age of 15 and it has been onward and upward ever since the milestone.

Of course, as in every field, her success has to be attributed to a strong foundation and her mental fortitude.

The teenage sensation has had incredible success in recent times as she clinched the title at the Indian Chess Championships held in the year 2022, before picking up the bronze at the Chess Olympiad the same year.

Her fledgling portfolio also includes her demonstration of her skill at the FIDE Online Chess Olympiad back in the year 202, where she was part of the gold-winning team

She further bolstered her burgeoning profile with a title win at the Asian Women’s Chess Championships in Almaty this year. The girl from Nagpur is currently ranked 7th in the list of the nation’s women’s players, which speaks volumes of her potential.

Her FIDE Ranking as of August 2023 was 2372, with her peak ranking yet coming in the year 2019 when she ranked 2431.

Her latest accomplishment was her success at the Tata Steel Chess India Rapid tournament as he got the beating of legendary Indian Koneru Humpy with black pieces, in addition to registering draws with reigning World Champion Ju Wenjun and holder Anna Ushenina of Ukraine, to edge ahead of the Wenjun in the leaderboard with 7 points in the rapid format.

The 17-year-old’s triumph is accentuated by the fact that she came in as a last-minute replacement for R Vaishali, Praggnanandha’s sister after she pulled out of the competition.

If the early signs are anything to go by, the teenager from Maharashtra is destined for great things, at a time when Indian chess seems to be growing from strength to strength.