News Brief
India’s Young Chess Sensation Divya Deshmukh Defeats World Number One Hou Yifan, PM Modi Congratulates Her
Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan (X/@narendramodi)
India’s young chess sensation Divya Deshmukh made headlines after defeating World number one Hou Yifan of China in a big match at the World Team Blitz Chess Championship held in London, Times of India reported.
Divya, who is currently the World number one, in the junior category, ended the tournament with an impressive three medals.
The match took place in the second part of the semifinal round, where Divya represented the Hexamind Chess Club and Yifan played for the WR Chess Team.
Though Yifan had won against Divya earlier in the first leg, the Nagpur girl came back strong in the next game.
Divya had the advantage of playing with the white pieces, which allowed her to make the first move.
She played smartly and quickly, putting pressure on her opponent.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded Divya's performance on X, saying “Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London. Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours.”
Divya Deshmukh, born on 9 December 2005, in Nagpur, began playing chess at age five.
She quickly rose through the ranks, winning the U-7 National Championship in 2012, followed by world titles in the U-10 (2014) and U-12 (2017) categories.
Daughter of doctors Jitendra and Namratha, Divya became a Woman Grandmaster in 2021 and an International Master in 2023. Currently the World Junior No. 1, she clinched the 2024 World Junior Girls’ U-20 title with a dominant 10/11 score.
