In addition to showcasing India’s incredible depth of talent in the sport, a bright-eyed youngster named Divya Deshmukh’s victory at the Women’s Chess World Cup in distant Batumi this year confirmed the nation’s position as the new global center of the game.
The 19-year-old Nagpur girl appeared out of nowhere and accomplished three career milestones with one trademark victory, just when it appeared that the aura of D Gukesh, who won the world championship in 2024, was fading after a run of defeats this year.
In addition to becoming the first Indian woman to win the FIDE Women’s World Cup, Divya immediately won the coveted Grandmaster title, eschewing the customary “norms” necessary to do so.
Divya, whose parents are physicians, also earned an automatic spot in the 2026 Candidates competition, where the victor will have the opportunity to compete against China’s Ju Wenjun, the current women’s world champion.
Divya’s triumph on that historic July day also changed the landscape of women’s chess in the nation, which depended on two-time World Rapid Champion Koneru Humpy and Dronavalli Harika. For almost twenty years, the two ladies have led the nation in the sport.
While Divya’s victory made a big impression, world champion Gukesh’s year was marred by disappointing outcomes despite beginning on a positive note with a second-place performance in the Tata Steel Chess Masters in Wijk Aan Zee, Netherlands.
Gukesh’s journey this year has been anything but easy, following the euphoria of winning the world championship. His dominance was challenged by fellow countryman R Praggnanandhaa, who won the Tata Steel Masters title by defeating the champion in an exciting blitz tiebreaker.
The 19-year-old Gukesh continued to falter in a year that should have solidified his gains from winning the world title. He was eliminated from the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam, finished poorly in the FIDE Grand Swiss, and was shockingly eliminated in the third round of the FIDE World Cup in Goa.
The few bright points in an otherwise dismal year were Gukesh’s historic victory over World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen at Norway Chess in May–June and the European Club Cup victory in October, where he won the individual gold and assisted his team, SuperChess, in winning the title.
Gukesh’s triumph over Carlsen in Norway Chess in Stavanger was one of his landmark victories that caused his popularity to skyrocket amid all the gloom in classical, quick, and blitz.
Social media went crazy after the well-known victory, in which a terrified Carlsen slammed his fist on the table and yelled “Oh my God” before storming out of the hall.
After defeating the Norwegian World No. 1, French football powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain used a widely shared photo of Gukesh’s composed look on Twitter to convey their own feelings following their first-ever UEFA Champions League victory.
“What it felt like winning our first UCL” was PSG’s caption for the picture. The photograph was used by the football team, and it received over eight million impressions on social media.
Despite the nerve-wracking loss to Gukesh, Carlsen defeated a formidable opponent to earn his eighth Norway Chess title. He also continued to rule the chess world by winning other titles in various formats.
At the recent World Cup in Goa, it was anticipated that India will at least earn a spot in the Candidates round. Unfortunately, the Indians were unable to take use of their home advantage, and front-runners Praggnanandhaa, Arjun Erigaisi, Nihal Sarin, P Harikrishna, and Vidit Gujrathi were eliminated at different points during the competition.
Andrey Esipenko, Wei Yi, and Javokhir Sindarov later secured their places for the Candidates in Cyprus the following year.
But in the end, Praggnanandhaa was able to secure his place in the Candidates by winning the FIDE Circuit 2025. By dominating the circuit’s standings with impressive performances and points from events like the London Chess Classic, he became the first male Indian player to qualify for the esteemed World Championship qualifier.
Since the renowned Viswanathan Anand became the nation’s first Grandmaster in 1988, India has advanced significantly. As the nation looks ahead to 2026, it currently has 91 GMs, several of which are on the verge of earning the esteemed title.
In 2025, L R Srihari, Harikrishnan A Ra, Divya Deshmukh, S Rohith Krishna, Ilamparthi A R, and Raahul V S became Grandmasters.
It’s only a matter of time until someone breaks the record, since Madhya Pradesh’s Sarwagya Singh Kushwaha recently became the youngest player on the FIDE rating list at the age of just three years, seven months, and twenty days. Too “young” to be real!
