Last updated on: March 16th, 2025
Divya Deshmukh Biography – The young and talented gem of Indian chess who becomes WGM at 15!
Family Background of Divya Deshmukh:
Divya Deshmukh is an Indian chess player born on December 09, 2005, in Nagpur, Maharashtra, India. Her father, Jitendra Deshmukh, is a Govt. Professor and head in the Govt. Medical College in Gondia city.
Her mother, Namrata Deshmukh, is a Gynaecologist.
She has an elder sister named Arya Deshmukh, a law student studying at Jindal Global Law School, Haryana.
Early Life:
Divya Deshmukh started playing chess at the age of five. And very soon, her parents realized that she could perform well in this field. Also, chess just didn’t happen to her randomly. It was her father who used to play chess.
Then, she also started playing it with her father and then only developed her interest in the sport.
Education:
She is currently a school student studying at Bhavan’s Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir, Nagpur.
Divya Deshmukh Biography:
| Divya Deshmukh’s Profile: | |
|---|---|
| Personal Life: | |
| Full Name | Divya Deshmukh |
| Nickname | Not known |
| Date of Birth | December 09, 2005 |
| Age | 19 years 3 months (in March, 2025) |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Zodiac/Sun Sign | Sagittarius |
| Birth Place | Nagpur, Maharashtra, India |
| School | Bhavan’s Bhagwandas Purohit Vidya Mandir, Nagpur. |
| College | – |
| Physical Stats: | |
| Height | Not known |
| Weight | Not known |
| Hair Color | Black |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
| Family & Relationships: | |
| Father | Jitendra Deshmukh |
| Mother | Namrata Deshmukh |
| Siblings | 1 sister (Arya Deshmukh) |
| Boyfriend | Not known |
| Career: | |
| Profession | Chess Player |
| Title | International Master (IM) |
| Coach | GM RB Ramesh & Srinath Narayanan. |
Chess Career of Divya Deshmukh:
As soon as Divya Deshmukh began competing in tournaments, she started winning trophies and medals. In 2012, she became the national champion in the Under-7 Girls category.
That same year, she won two gold medals in the Under-9 Girls category at the Asian School Chess Championship held in New Delhi.
Her success continued in 2013 when she claimed two gold medals at the Asian Youth Chess Championship in the Under-8 Girls category.
Divya also became the National Chess Champion in the Under-9 category, securing yet another title.
The following year, Divya won gold at the World Championship in the Under-10 Girls category. She also claimed another gold medal at the Asian Youth Tournament in the same category.
In addition to these victories, she won gold in the Under-14 category at the 60th National School Games, organized by the School Games Federation of India.
Her winning streak continued in 2015 when she secured two gold medals at the Asian Chess Championship in South Korea. That same year, she also won a gold medal at the 2015 Commonwealth Chess Championship (Under-10 Girls).
In 2016, she once again showcased her talent by winning two gold medals and a silver at the Asian Youth Championship in Mongolia. That same year, she also claimed the national championship title in the Under-11 Girls category and secured a gold medal at the National School Games.
Building on her success, she won gold at the 2017 World Youth Chess Championship in Brazil. In addition to this achievement, she earned a gold in Blitz, a silver in Rapid, and a bronze in the Standard format.
Deshmukh’s remarkable progress continued in 2018 when she earned the Woman International Master title at just 12 years old. Later that year, she won a bronze medal at the World Youth Chess Championship, sharing the podium with Sanskriti Goyal.
Later, in April 2019, Divya became India’s no. 3 female chess player at 13.
Gold at 2020 Olympiad –
She was also a part of the 2020 joint Olympiad-winning Indian Chess team led by GM Vidit Gujrathi. Her victory, alongside GM Praggnanandhaa against China, helps India to enter the Quarter-finals of the tournament.
She played five games in the tournament, out of which she won two games, lost two games (1 due to the internet disconnection), and the other because of a global server outage; in fact, she was entirely in a winning position in that game.
All in all, against Russia in the final, Divya and GM Nihal Sarin lost their internet connection due to some server problems, which eventually resulted in India and Russia’s joint victory.
It was India’s first-ever gold at the Chess Olympiad. You can watch the tournament finale on Samay Raina‘s YouTube channel or FIDE’s YouTube channel.
In October 2021, Divya became India’s 21st Woman Grandmaster (WGM).
The following year, in 2022, she claimed victory at the 47th National Women’s Championship. She drew with IM Soumya Swaminathan in the final and secured the title with an impressive eight out of nine points. She achieved this milestone at just 16 years old.
Continuing her success, in January 2023, she won her second consecutive National Chess Championship.
Later that year, Divya also triumphed at the Asian Women’s Chess Championship. Around the same time, she secured her final IM norm at the Baku Open and became the 12th Indian female player to earn the International Master title.
In September 2023, she added another accolade to her growing list by winning the Women’s Rapid Championship title.
2024 Chess Olympiad:
Divya Deshmukh had an outstanding performance at the 2024 Chess Olympiad, playing in every match and scoring an impressive 9.5 points. Her crucial wins, particularly in the final game, earned her the individual gold medal on Board Three.
Divya’s strong contribution helped the Indian women’s team win the team gold medal. The men’s team also claimed gold, making it a historic double victory for India.
Later, she participated in the Challengers section of the 2025 Tata Steel Chess tournament held in Wijk aan Zee.
However, it turned out to be a challenging event for her, as she finished with a score of 3.5/13, placing second to last in the standings.
Facts about Divya Deshmukh:
- She wanted to join a badminton academy at the age of four but couldn’t participate because her height was slightly below the required standard at the time.
- Divya is currently an International Master.
- In 2018, at just 12 years old, she defeated a Grandmaster (GM Hoa Nguyen) for the first time in her career.
- Deshmukh is one of the top 10 Indian female chess players.
- At the 2025 Sportstar Aces Awards in Mumbai, Divya was honored with the Sportswoman of the Year Award (Non-Olympic Sports) for her outstanding achievements in chess.
Frequently asked questions on Google:
- What is the height of Divya Deshmukh?
Not known
- What is the age of Divya Deshmukh?
19 years 3 months (in March, 2025)
- Who is the father of Divya Deshmukh?
Dr. Jitendra Deshmukh
- Where is the hometown of Divya Deshmukh?
Nagpur, Maharashtra, India.
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