Divya Scripts History: Beats Humpy to Become Grandmaster at 19

Nineteen-year-old Divya Deshmukh scripted history on Monday registering a tie-break win over veteran Koneru Humpy in the FIDE Women’s World Cup at Batumi, Georgia. The teenager from Nagpur not only earned her biggest career title but also the prestigious Grandmaster title, which looked improbable when she began the tournament.

After the two classical games played on Saturday and Sunday ended in draws, the match headed into tie-breaks. Having drawn the two classical games, it was the first set of tiebreakers that proved decisive, as Humpy became anxious.

The victory makes Divya the 88th Grandmaster of the country and the fourth Indian woman player to achieve the GM feat after Humpy, Dronavalli Harika and R. Vaishali.

The Divya vs Humpy finale was a battle of generations with the 19-year-old Divya being just half the age of veteran Humpy, who is India’s first woman to become a grandmaster. Humpy, 38, became a Grandmaster in 2002 and Divya was only born in 2005.

Divya showed steely resolve on Monday, and the bonus for the determination was the Grandmaster title, reserved for the champion of this event.