Nagpur Teen Who Became World Youth Chess Champion A Decade Ago Pays Tribute After World Cup Triumph
Nagpur : After returning from Georgia as the youngest ever Women’s World Chess Champion, 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh of Nagpur has dedicated her newly earned Grandmaster (GM) title to her late coach Rahul Joshi. Joshi, who passed away in 2020 at the age of 40, had long dreamed of seeing Divya become a Grandmaster. Although he is no longer alive, Divya fulfilled his dream by clinching the GM title through her brilliant run at the World Cup.
Divya is now India’s 88th Grandmaster and only the fourth woman to achieve the title. On Monday, she defeated 38-year-old Rapid World Champion Koneru Humpy in the final of the FIDE Women’s World Cup with a score of 1.5-0.5 to claim the crown—becoming India’s first-ever female World Champion in chess.
Speaking to media on her return to India, Divya said, “My former coach Rahul Joshi always wanted me to become a Grandmaster. I dedicate this GM title to him.” Divya is now the youngest woman ever to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup. In the men’s section, India’s D. Gukesh became the youngest world champion last December. India’s first chess world champion, Viswanathan Anand, had won the title in the year 2000.
This photo is so heart warming! Divya Deshmukh arrives in Nagpur after winning the FIDE Women's World Cup 2025 and is greeted by hundreds of people! She then held the photo frame of her first coach Rahul Joshi and dedicated her GM title to him.
Rahul, a wonderful chess trainer,… pic.twitter.com/rCB4nSFPxK— ChessBase India (@ChessbaseIndia) July 30, 2025
Divya had earlier won a gold medal at the World Junior Chess Championship and also triumphed at the Asian Championship. Ten years ago, at just nine years of age, she was crowned the World Youth Chess Champion.
On Monday, well-known Mumbai chess coach Nagesh Gattula shared a childhood photo of Divya on Facebook, recalling her early success in 2014. Back then, Divya, just eight and a half years old, brought glory to both Maharashtra and India by winning the World Youth title. Coach Gattula had wished her to become the world’s youngest Grandmaster—and today, Divya stands as the youngest Women’s World Chess Champion.
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