4/8/2026 – Three decisive games in round eight left five players tied for the lead in the Women's Candidates Tournament. Divya Deshmukh defeated former sole leader Anna Muzychuk, who had held a clearly superior position before letting the game slip. Kateryna Lagno and Zhu Jiner also scored wins and joined the leading group. With the standings tightly grouped, the next round will feature two direct clashes between co-leaders. | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

4/5/2026 – Anna Muzychuk moved into the sole lead at the Women's Candidates after defeating Zhu Jiner with the black pieces, opening a one-point gap in the standings. Bibisara Assaubayeva suffered a second consecutive loss, while Aleksandra Goryachkina was held to a draw despite getting winning chances. Vaishali Rameshbabu and Divya Deshmukh scored their first wins of the event. | Photo: FIDE / Yoav Nis

3/2/2026 – A clear leader has emerged in the Challengers tournament at the Prague International Chess Festival, as 16-year-old Vaclav Finek moved a full point ahead of the field after defeating Daniil Yuffa with the white pieces. Divya Deshmukh, meanwhile, scored her first win of the event, while the remaining games ended drawn. The players now get a rest day before the final four rounds of the event take place from Tuesday to Friday. | Photo: Petr Vrabec / Prague Chess Festival

12/18/2025 – The Prague International Chess Festival will be held from 24 February to 6 March 2026. As the organisers have announced, Divya Deshmukh and Jiner Zhu, two of the world’s leading women players, will compete in the Challengers tournament. The event combines high-level chess with the opportunity to enjoy Prague, one of Europe’s most attractive cultural and tourist destinations.

10/23/2025 – After four rounds of the European Club Cup in Batumi, Alkaloid (pictured, right), Novy Bor and SuperChess share the lead in the open section with perfect 8/8 match points. Limhamns from Sweden have emerged as the surprise contenders after defeating MTK Budapest. In the women's event, Cercle d'Echecs Monte Carlo are the sole leaders with a flawless 8/8 record, followed by Tajfun SK Ljubljana, Sirmium Sremska Mitrovica and Crvena Zvezda two match points behind. | Photo: Patricia Claros

7/28/2025 – Humpy Koneru and Divya Deshmukh faced off in the tiebreak for the title at the 2025 Women's World Cup. After a draw in the first game, the second developed into a dramatic battle with fluctuating evaluations in a complex rook endgame. With time running short, it was Humpy Koneru who made the final mistake, allowing Divya Deshmukh to win the game, the match, and the title. | Photos: Andrei Anosov/FIDE

7/26/2025 – The first games of the Women's World Cup final and third-place match in Batumi both ended in draws. Divya Deshmukh missed a promising attacking chance against Humpy Koneru, while Tan Zhongyi and Lei Tingjie played a balanced game in the Exchange Variation of the Queen's Gambit Declined. The second classical games will be played tomorrow, with Humpy and Lei having the white pieces. A win would secure the match without tiebreaks. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/24/2025 – Divya Deshmukh became the first finalist of the Women's World Cup after defeating Tan Zhongyi in a dramatic 101-move game, securing both a place in the final and qualification for the 2026 Candidates Tournament. The second semifinal between Humpy Koneru and Lei Tingjie ended in another draw after a complex rook endgame, and will be decided in tiebreaks on Thursday. The third-place match also offers a remaining spot in the Candidates. | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

7/22/2025 – In the only match that went to tiebreaks in the quarterfinals of the Women's World Cup, Divya Deshmukh secured a 2–0 victory over her compatriot Harika Dronavalli, thus becoming the fourth player to advance to the semi-finals. In the second rapid game, Harika twice missed a winning continuation in the endgame. In the semifinals, India's Humpy Koneru and Divya Deshmukh will face China's Lei Tingjie and Tan Zhongyi, respectively | Photo: Anna Shtourman / FIDE

4/21/2025 – Humpy Koneru seized the lead at the Women's Grand Prix in Pune with a crucial win over Zhu Jiner in Monday's round seven, turning the tournament standings on their head with just two rounds remaining. Divya Deshmukh also impressed, scoring a dominant victory to stay in contention ahead of her key clash with Zhu. While three other games ended in draws, they were far from uneventful, with tactical complications and endgame fortresses keeping things exciting across the board. | Photo: Abhilash Shinde

4/5/2025 – Thorsten Cmiel keeps a very close eye on the young talents in chess. During the Prague Chess Festival, he paid particular attention to how Divya Deshmukh played. Divya won the girls' category at the 2024 World Junior Championship. | Photo: Petr Vrabec

3/24/2025 – With a crucial victory over Elisabeth Paehtz, Anna Muzychuk rebounded from her previous loss to join Zhu Jiner in the lead at the Cyprus Women's Grand Prix. The final round promises an exciting showdown, with Muzychuk facing Harika Dronavalli and Zhu Jiner taking on Nana Dzagnidze. Meanwhile, Divya Deshmukh claimed her first tournament win against Olga Badelka, in a game that featured a ceremonial first move by Vishy Anand. | Photos: FIDE / Mark Livshitz

3/13/2025 – Thorsten Cmiel keeps a very close eye on the young talents in chess. During the Prague Chess Festival, he paid particular attention to how Divya Deshmukh played. Divya won the girls' category at the 2024 World Junior Championship. | Photo: Petr Vrabec

2/22/2025 – On 15 February, Sportstar premiered the Sportstar Aces Awards 2025 on their YouTube channel. Divya Deshmukh received the award for sportswoman of the year (non-Olympic). She won the World Junior Girls Championship 2024 and achieved a double gold (individual and team) at the Chess Olympiad. The Indian Men and Women's teams received the National Team of the Year award for winning historic gold medals at the Chess Olympiad held in Budapest, Hungary. | Photos: Sportstar

1/31/2025 – A handshake controversy at the Tata Steel Challengers tournament sparked heated debate after GM Nodirbek Yakubboev declined Vaishali Rameshbabu's pre-game gesture, citing religious reasons. The incident drew widespread criticism, with many questioning the inconsistency of his actions. In response, Yakubboev publicly apologised and later met Vaishali and Divya Deshmukh, offering chocolates and flowers. | Photo: ChessBase India

9/22/2024 – India made history by achieving a double gold in the Chess Olympiad, winning outright in both the open and women's sections. Both Indian teams dominated in the final round, securing convincing 3½-½ victories. In the open section, Dommaraju Gukesh and Arjun Erigaisi led the way, while Divya Deshmukh and Vantika Agrawal starred in the women's section. All four players capped their stellar performances with individual gold medals. The United States and Uzbekistan took silver and bronze in the open section, while Kazakhstan and the United States claimed silver and bronze in the women's section.

9/17/2024 – Heading into the rest day of the Women's Chess Olympiad, India emerged as the sole leaders after a 2.5-1.5 victory over Armenia in round 6. Divya Deshmukh (pictured) secured the win in the only decisive game of the match, helping India maintain their perfect score. Close behind, Georgia and Poland are tied for second place, just one match point behind India. Both teams won their respective matches by the narrowest of margins, with Salome Melia leading Georgia to victory and Oliwia Kiolbasa delivering the key win for Poland. | Photo: FIDE / Maria Emelianova

6/15/2024 – Kazybek Nogerbek from Kazakhstan and Divya Deshmuk from India are the new U20 World Champions. Bogerbek won the decisive game in the final round against former leader Mamikon Gharibyan from Armenia, while Divy also won her final round game to end the event with a remarkable 10/11 score. | Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

5/23/2024 – Four players finished the Sharjah Masters atop the standings with 6½ points — and it was 17-year-old Bardiya Daneshvar who was declared the winner on tiebreak criteria. Volodar Murzin and Sam Shankland completed the podium, while Shamsiddin Vokhidov grabbed fourth place after scoring a full point in Thursday’s ninth round. In the Challengers, 18-year-old Divya Deshmukh emerged victorious, as she finished the event with a better tiebreak score than Leya Garifullina and Sina Movahed. Pictured on the right is Agshin Alizada, who won the Futures section. | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy

1/16/2024 – Defending champion Anish Giri joined Alireza Firouzja in the lead of the Tata Steel Masters after beating Alexander Donchenko with the black pieces. Full points were also scored by Ding Liren, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Jorden van Foreest — all three grabbed their first wins of the event. In the Challengers, six players are sharing first place with 2/3 points following a round that saw five out of seven games ending decisively. | Photo: Tata Steel Chess Tournament / Jurriaan Hoefsmit

9/3/2023 – Divya Deshmukh, a late replacement and the lowest-rated player in the field, won the rapid section of the Tata Steel India tournament. The 17-year-old from Maharashtra outscored some of the strongest women players in the world to finish in sole first place with 7 out of 9 points. Ju Wenjun, who entered the last round tied for first with Divya, grabbed second place. | Photo: Vivek Sohani

9/1/2023 – Two young Indian players outscored the rating favourites on the first day of action at the Tata Steel Rapid tournament in Kolkata. Divya Deshmukh (pictured) — who was included in the lineup as Vaishali Rameshbabu’s late replacement — and Vantika Agrawal are leading the standings with 2½/3 points each. Women’s world champion Ju Wenjun stands in sole third place, a half point behind. | Photo: Vivek Sohani