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 | 18 years 11 months (in November, 2024) |
| 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) |
| Coach | GM RB Ramesh & Srinath Narayanan. |
| Career: | |
| Profession | Chess Player |
| Titles | WGM and 2 IM norms |
Chess Career of Divya Deshmukh:
As soon she started playing tournaments, she started winning trophies and medals. In 2012, she became the national champion in the Under-7 Girls category. Also, she won 2 gold medals in the Under-9 Girls category in the 2012 Asian School Chess Champion tournament in New Delhi.
In 2013, she won 2 gold medals at the Asian Youth Chess Championship in the Under-8 Girls category. The same year, she again became the National Chess Champion in the under-9 category.
The following year, Divya won gold at World Championship in the under-10 Girls category. She also won gold at the Asian Youth tournament in the same year and under the same category. Also, in the same year, she won gold in the under-14 category at the 60th National School Games organized by the School Games Federation of India.
Later, she won 2 gold medals at the 2015 Asian Chess Championship in South Korea. The same year, she won a gold medal at the 2015 Commonwealth Chess Championship. Also, she won a Bronze at the World Youth chess tournament in 2015.
In 2016, she again won 2 gold and a silver medal at the Asian Youth Championship in Mongolia. Deshmukh also won the 2016 national championship (Under-11 Girls category) and a gold medal at the National School Games.
Later, she won gold at the 2017 World Youth Chess Championship in Brazil. The same year, she won a gold in Blitz, a silver in Rapid, and a bronze in Standard mode.
Then, Divya Deshmukh earned the Woman International Master title in 2018 at the age of 12. The same year, she won a bronze at the World Youth Chess Championship alongside 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’s India’s first-ever gold at the chess Olympiad. You can watch the finale of the chess tournament on the YouTube channel of Samay Raina or on Chesscom.
Then, in October 2021, Divya became India’s 21st Woman Grand Master (WGM).
Later, in 2022, the she won the 47th National Women’s Championship. She drew with IM Soumya Swaminathan in the final and won the championship by securing eight out of nine points. She achieved this feat at the age of 16. Then, in January 2023, she wins second consecutive National Chess Championship.
In 2023, Divya won Asian Women’s Chess Championship. Later, in September 2023, she won 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.
Facts about Divya Deshmukh:
- She wanted to join a Badminton Academy at the age of four but couldn’t play because her height was a little less than the par.
- She is currently at the 29th position in the Top 100 girls as per FIDE ratings.
- In 2018, she beat a Grand Master (GM Hoa Nguyen) for the first time in her career at 12.
- She is one of the top 10 Indian female Blitz chess players.
- She has two IM norms so far.
Frequently asked questions on Google:
Q1: What is the height of Divya Deshmukh?
Ans: Not known
Q2: What is the age of Divya Deshmukh?
Ans: 18 years 11 months (in November, 2024)
Q3: Who is the father of Divya Deshmukh?
Ans: Dr. Jitendra Deshmukh
Q4: Where is the hometown of Divya Deshmukh?
Ans: Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Social Media Accounts:
- Yuzvendra Chahal
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