Mental toughness and aggression key to success in FIDE WC: Divya

After defeating Koneru Humpy and becoming the world champion, Divya returned to Nagpur on Wednesday. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, she elaborated on the key factors behind her victory. She said, “I became a champion because of mental toughness and a strong will to win. It has never mattered to me whether there are a hundred people ahead of me or a hundred thousand. I always focus on how to improve my game. My aggression helps me succeed.”

When asked about comparisons to Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s aggressive yet composed playing style and how she maintains her mindset, Divya said, “From the beginning of the tournament, I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t seen as a potential winner or a top contender. I wasn’t even the number one player in the country. The only thing I had was mental resilience and an unyielding willpower. That’s what helped me defeat everyone.”

In response to a question, Divya said that her game shares many similarities with World Champion D. Gukesh, which is why both of them could become champions. When asked how she plans to prepare for the Candidates Tournament, she said, “I’ll need to practice even more. I’ll have to put in extra effort and focus on correcting my mistakes, because other players are also working hard to move ahead.”

Asked with three GMs in the city whether Nagpur has become hub for chess after Chennai, Divya said, " We can't compare nagpur with that of Chennai. They have more grandmasters than Nagpur. They are way ahead of us".

Divya’s father Dr. Jitendra and mother Dr. Namrata Deshmukh were present on this occasion, along with Maharashtra Chess Association president MLC Parinay Fuke, vice president Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte, AICF coordinator A.K. Verma, Dr. Parinita Fuke, and Advocate Nishant Gandhi.

Chess academy to be named after Divya

On this occasion, Parinay Fuke announced that a chess academy named after Divya would be established in the central area of Nagpur. He also mentioned that during his seven-year tenure, 19 individuals from chess have received the Shiv Chhatrapati Award. He added that efforts will be made to introduce chess as a compulsory subject in schools across the state.