Nagpur Girl Divya Deshmukh Defeats World No.1 Hou Yifan in 74-Move Masterclass; PM Modi Applauds Her Grit

The Indian chess world witnessed a monumental feat when 19-year-old Divya Deshmukh scripted history after defeating World No. 1 Hou Yifan in the Blitz semifinals of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Team Championship 2025 in London. The Nagpur teen kept her composure and pulled off a stunning 74-move win in a tense rook vs bishop endgame.

Her victory played a crucial role in securing India's third-place finish in the Blitz segment of the tournament, adding to their second-place finish in the Rapid format.

Reacting to her performance, Divya took to social media and wrote: "Finally, what seemed like an eternity is over—World Rapid and Blitz Team Championships! The team finished second in rapid and third in blitz. Had an amazing experience with the team!"

Divya's individual Blitz record has been stellar with six wins, one draw, and just a single loss. The magnitude of her feat was acknowledged by none other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who shared his admiration via social media:

"Congratulations to Divya Deshmukh on defeating the World No. 1, Hou Yifan in the 2nd leg of Blitz semifinal at the World Team Blitz Championships, London. Her success highlights her grit and determination. It also inspires many upcoming chess players. Best wishes for her future endeavours," wrote PM Modi.

Earlier in 2024, Deshmukh had sparked a critical discussion when he spoke out on gender inequality and rampant sexism in the world of chess.

In a candid post, she detailed the stark difference in treatment she receives compared to her male counterparts.

"I have been wanting to address this for a while but was waiting for my tournament to be over. I got told and also myself noticed how women in chess are often just taken for granted by spectators. Most recent example of this on a personal level would be in this tournament, I played a few games which I felt were quite good and I was proud of them," she wrote in a post on Instagram.

"I got told by people how the audience was not even bothered with the game but instead focused on every single possible thing in the world: my clothes, hair, accent and every other irrelevant thing. I was quite upset to hear this and I think is the sad truth that people when women play chess they often overlook how good they actually are, the games they play and their strength. I was quite disappointed to see how everything was discussed about in my interviews (by the audience) except my games, very few people paid attention to it and it is quite a sad thing," she explained.

“I felt it was unfair in a way because if I go to any guy’s interview there would be way less judgement on a personal level, actual compliments about the game and the player. I feel women are under appreciated and every irrelevant thing is focused on and hated on while guys would probably get away with the same things. I think women face this on a daily basis and I’m barely 18. I have faced so much judgement including hatred over the years for things that don’t even matter. I think women should start getting equal respect,” she concluded.