"You have done wonders": AICF secretary Dev Patel hails Divya Deshmukh for historic win at FIDE Women's World Cup

In a historic moment, the 19-year-old Divya clinched the FIDE Women's World Cup after defeating India Women's No. 1 and reigning World Rapid Champion GM Koneru Humpy. With the win, Divya became India's 88th Grandmaster (GM).

In a statement, All India Chess Federation Secretary Patel congratulated the young athlete for her stunning victory and said, "A hearty congratulations to you, Divya. You have done wonders, and the whole nation is proud of you. At just 19 years, you have shown to the world that age is just a number in chess. You are no less than anyone. Congratulations on becoming India's 88th Grandmaster."

"It's a historic moment for all of us. Especially since this was an all-India final, and playing against the legendary GM Koneru Humpy must be a pressure situation. On behalf of All India Chess Federation, our state bodies, Government of India and Bharat, a huge congratulations, and I am sure you will bring many more achievements to India," Patel further added.

After drawing the first two classical rounds of the final, Divya was finally able to get the best of GM Koneru in the rapid tiebreaks of the final held in Batumi, Georgia. The first rapid game in the all-India final ended in a balanced draw, after which Divya maintained her composure to win a tough game and clinch the title.

During the tense contest, a string of inaccuracies in the second rapid game contributed to Koneru's downfall. She found herself a pawn down in the rook endgame, which played out in Divya's favour. The veteran allowed the situation to sink in and resigned on the 75th move and fell short in a gripping final with a score of 2.5-1.5.

Divya failed to capitalise on the two windows that Koneru left open for her with her inaccurate moves. However, on the third time, Koneru inflicted more damage on herself by capturing the f pawn on move 69, which changed the tide in Divya's favour towards the final moments of the contest. This time around, Divya made no mistake, played the right moves and forced Koneru to resign after six moves.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she began to grasp the scale of her victory. She tried to compose herself, but soon became overwhelmed with emotions again after embracing her mother in a heartfelt moment. (ANI)